The set of periodic scalar differential equations with cubic nonlinearities (Q2644027)

Consider the scalar differential equation \[ {dx\over dt}= f(t,x)\tag{\(*\)} \] under the assumption that the function \(f:\mathbb{R}\times\mathbb{R}\to \mathbb{R}\) belongs to the set \(\Sigma\) defined by the conditions \((\text{H}_0)\) \(f\in C^3(\mathbb{R}\times \mathbb{R},\mathbb{R})\); \((\text{H}_1)\) \(f\) is \(T\)-periodic in \(t\) for all \(x\in\mathbb{R}\); \((\text{H}_2)\) \(f_{xxx}(t,x)\leq 0\) for all \((t,x)\in\mathbb{R}\times \mathbb{R}\), and there exists \(t_0\) such that \(f_{xxx}(t_0, x)< 0\) for all \(x\in\mathbb{R}\); \((\text{H}_3)\) \(f(t,x)\to\mp\infty\) as \(x\to\pm\infty\), uniformly in \(t\). A \(T\)-periodic solution \(p(t)\) of \((*)\) satisfying \[ \int^T_0 f_x(t,p(t))\,dt= 0 \] is called singular. It is known that for \(f\in\Sigma\) equation \((*)\) has either one, two or three \(T\)-periodic solutions. If we denote by \(\Sigma_i\) the subset of \(\Sigma\) such that \((*)\) has exactly \(i\,T\)-periodic solutions, it holds \(\Sigma= \Sigma_1\cup\Sigma_2\cup\Sigma_3\). Using the notion of singular periodic solution, the authors decompose the sets \(\Sigma_1\) and \(\Sigma_2\) into two subsets and determine the structure of these subsets. For example, it is proved that the subset \(\Sigma^*_1\) of \(\Sigma_1\) consisting of all \(f\) such that \((*)\) has a singular \(T\)-periodic solution is a codimension two submanifold.