Parametric center-focus problem for Abel equation (Q489227)

The Abel differential equation \[ \dot{y}=p(x)y^3 + q(x)^2 \] with meromorphic coefficients \(p,q\) is said to have a center on \([a,b]\) if all its solutions, with the initial value \(y(a)\) small enough, satisfy the condition \(y(a)=y(b)\). The problem of deriving conditions on \((p,q,a,b)\) implying a center for the Abel equation is a model problem to the classical Poincaré Center-Focus problem for plane vector fields. Given any continuous function \(c(x)\), we denote by \(\tilde{c}(x) := \int_{a}^{x} c(\sigma) d \sigma\) and we will say that a continuous function \(w(x)\) is \textit{periodic in \([a,b]\)} if \(w(a)=w(b)\). The Abel differential equation \(\dot{y}=p(x)y^3 + q(x)^2\) satisfies the ``Composition condition'' (CC) if there exists a differentiable periodic function \(w\) such that \[ \tilde p(x)\, =\, p_1(w(x)) \quad \text{and} \quad \tilde q(x)\, =\, q_1(w(x)) \] for some differentiable functions \(p_1\) and \(q_1\). Moreover, in this case the polynomial Abel equation has a center in \([a,b]\). An Abel equation has a ``parametric center'' if for each \(\varepsilon \in\mathbb{C}\) the equation \[ \dot{y}=p(x)y^3 + \varepsilon q(x)^2 \] has a center. In the present paper the authors use recent results to show that for a polynomial Abel equation the existence of a parametric center implies strong ``composition'' restriction on \(p\) and \(q\). In particular, the authors show that for \(\deg p,q \leq 10\) the existence of a parametric center is equivalent to (CC) on \(p\) and \(q\). Furthermore, the authors study the trigonometric Abel equation, and provide a series of examples, generalizing a recent remarkable example given in [\textit{A. Cima} et al., Qual. Theory Dyn. Syst. 11, No. 1, 19--37 (2012; Zbl 1264.34055)], where certain moments of \(p,q\) vanish while (CC) is violated.