The entry-exit function and geometric singular perturbation theory (Q5963858)

This paper deals with the slow-fast planar system of the form \[ \dot{x}=\varepsilon f(x,z,\varepsilon), \] \[ \dot{z}= g(x,z,\varepsilon)z, \] where \(x, z \in {\mathbb R}\) and \(f(x,0,0)>0, g(x,0,0)<0\) for \(x<0\) and \(g(x,0,0)>0 \) for \(x>0\). For \(\varepsilon=0\) the \(x\)-axis consists of equilibria. These equilibria are normally attracting for \(x<0\) and normally repelling for \(x>0\). For small \(\varepsilon>0\), a solution that starts at \((x_0, z_0)\), with \(x_0\) negative and \(z_0 >0\) small, is attracted quickly toward the \(x\)-axis, then drifts to the right along the \(x\)-axis, and finally is repelled from the \(x\)-axis. It reintersects the line \(z=z_0\) at a point whose \(x\)-coordinate is denoted by \(p_{\varepsilon}(x_0)\). When \(\varepsilon \to 0\) the function \(p_{\varepsilon}(x_0)\) approaches a function \(p_0(x_0)\) which is called \textbf{the entry-exit function}. In this paper, the entry-exit relation is established for the given system indirectly based on blow-up, without making nongeneric assumptions. The construction uses cylindrical blow-up, explains the phenomenon geometrically, and yields \(C^{\infty}\)-smoothness of the return map. Also it is shown that the linear case can be reduced to the quadratic case, and it is discussed the smoothness of the return map to the line \(z=z_0\), \(z_0>0\), in the limit \(\varepsilon\to 0\).