BIFURCATIONS OF CRITICAL PERIODS: CUBIC VECTOR FIELDS IN KAPTEYN'S NORMAL FORM (Q3836232)

For the family of cubic vector fields \[ \dot x= -y+ a_1x^2+ (a_2+ 2a_4) xy+ a_3y^2- y(x^2+ y^2), \] \[ \dot y= x+ a_4x^2+ (a_5- 2a_1) xy- a_4y^2+ x(x^2+ y^2), \] the origin is a center if and only if \(a_2= a_5= 0\) (Hamiltonian stratum) or \(a_2= a_4= 0\) (symmetric stratum). Let \(\Lambda\) be the set of parameters \(a_i\) yielding such a center. Then for any fixed \(\lambda\in \Lambda\) and sufficiently small \(x>0\), the period function \(P(x,\lambda)\) denotes the period of the closed orbit passing through the point \((x,0)\). This function has the Taylor expansion \(P(x,\lambda)= 2\pi+ \sum_{k\geq 1} p_{2k}(\lambda) x^{2k}\), valid for \(|x|\) sufficiently small and \(\lambda\in\Lambda\) sufficiently close to any fixed \(\widetilde\lambda\in\Lambda\). The author's aim is to determine the maximal number of critical periods (i.e., zeros of \(\partial P/\partial x\)) bifurcating from the center. It is shown that no center is isochronous and that at most three critical periods can bifurcate from \(x= 0\). Moreover, perturbations \(\lambda\) with three critical periods do exist. Owing to the fact that the coefficients \(p_{2k}(\lambda)\) are polynomials in the components of the parameter \(\lambda\), the proofs are achieved by tools from computational algebraic geometry. Considering similarly the period function at infinity, the author also proves that no critical period bifurcates from infinity.