Bifurcations of a pair of singular cycles (Q4344880)

The paper is devoted to the study of the bifurcation problem of a pair of singular cycles of vector fields relating to the study of Lorenz equations. Computer simulation indicates that some heteroclinic cycle structures may cause a transition to turbulence. The case where both heteroclinic cycles are orientable, was studied in [\textit{Dongwen Qi}, Acta Math. Sin., New Ser. 12, 54-70 (1996; Zbl 0844.58066)]. In the present paper the author treats the case where one of the cycles is nonorientable. The system under study is the following: \[ {\text{ d}u\over \text{ d}t}=E_{\varepsilon}(u), \] where \(u\in\mathbb{R}^3\), \(\varepsilon=(\varepsilon_1,\varepsilon_2)\in\mathbb{R}^2\) is a small parameter, \(E_{\varepsilon}(0)=0\), \(E_{\varepsilon}(u)\in C^3\). The eigenvalues \(\lambda_1\), \(\lambda_2\), \(\gamma\) of the linearization \(DE_0(0)\) at the origin are such that \(\lambda_2<\lambda_1<0<\gamma\), \(\lambda_1+\gamma>0\), i.e. the origin is a hyperbolic saddle point whose stable \((W^s_0)\) and unstable \((W^u_0=\Gamma_1\cup\Gamma_2\cup\{0\})\) manifolds are two- and one-dimensional, respectively, and the strong stable manifold \((W^{ss}_0)\) in \(W^s_0\) divides \(W^s_0\) into two parts \(W^+_0\) and \(W^-_0\) in a neighborhood of the origin. It is also assumed that \(E_0\) has two hyperbolic periodic orbits \(L_\alpha\) \((\alpha =1,2)\) whose stable \(W^s_\alpha\) and unstable \(W^u_\alpha\) manifolds are two-dimensional, and \(\Gamma_\alpha\subset W^s_\alpha\) for \((\alpha=1,2)\). The following ``generic'' properties are assumed to be satisfied: (\(G_1\)) The eigenvalues of \(DE_0(0)\) are nonresonant. (\(G_2\)) The multipliers \(a_\alpha\), \(b_\alpha\) of \(L_\alpha\) are nonresonant and \(0<a_\alpha<1<b_\alpha\), \((\alpha =1,2)\). (\(G_3\)) \(W^u_\alpha\) intersects transversely with \(W^+_0\) (or \(W^-_0\)) along the trajectory \(\gamma_\alpha\), \((\alpha =1,2)\). (\(G_4\)) The invariant manifold \(W\) (\(\dim W=2\)) which is tangent to the plane spanned by the eigenvectors associated to \(\lambda_1\) and \(\gamma\) intersects transversely with \(W^s_\alpha\) along \(\Gamma_\alpha\) (\(\alpha=1,2\)). (\(G_5\)) The heteroclinic orbits \(\Gamma_\alpha\) (\(\alpha=1,2\)) occur and break in a transversal manner with the variation of parameters. Under the assumptions indicated above it is shown that there exist a neighborhood \(N\) of the contour \(\Gamma_1\cup L_1\cup\gamma_1\cup\{0\}\Gamma_2\cup L_2\cup\gamma_2\) and a neighborhood \(V\) of the origin in the parameter plane \((\varepsilon_1,\varepsilon_2)\) such that for some values \((\varepsilon_1,\varepsilon_2)\in V\) the trajectories which stay forever in \(N\) except for the unstable manifold of the origin of \(E_\varepsilon\) are in one to one correspondence with the trajectories of a certain symbolic system. The parameter dependence of the dynamical behavior of the unstable manifold of the origin is also described.