Canard explosion in a reduction for MacArthur and Rosenzweig model (Q2846535)

Consider the singularly perturbed system NEWLINE\[NEWLINE\begin{aligned} \varepsilon\dot x &= x[(3- x)(x+ 1)- y],\\ \dot y &= y[x- \mu],\end{aligned}\tag{\(*\)}NEWLINE\]NEWLINE where \(\varepsilon> 0\) is a sufficiently small parameter, \(0<\mu\leq 3\). System \((*)\) has a unique equilibrium \(E_\mu= (x(\mu),\mu)\) in the positive orthant. The authors prove the existence of a canard cycle in system \((*)\) which explains the sudden transition from a small-amplitude limit cycle generated by a supercritical Hopf bifuraction at \(\mu= 1\) from the equilibrium \(E_\mu\) to a large-amplitude relaxation oscillation which emerges at \(\mu< 1\), when \(\varepsilon\) crosses zero.