Relationships between the discriminant curve and other bifurcation diagrams (Q5950900)

The authors study relations among stability boundary curves for parameter dependent bifurcation problems. Especially, the saddle-node and Hopf bifurcation boundaries in scalar 2-parameter problems are investigated, which frequently form a `cross-shaped diagram', where the Hopf bifurcation curve makes a loop around a cusp point of the saddle-node curve. It is proved that the two bifurcation curves meet tangentially at their common point, where a non-semisimple zero eigenvalue occurs (Takens-Bogdanov bifurcation), and these common points persist as a third parameter is varied. An example is shown that exhibits two different types of 3-codimensional degenerate Takens-Bogdanov bifurcation.