The limit cycles in a generalized Rayleigh-Liénard oscillator (Q6041193)

The authors consider the cyclicity problem of an open period annuli of the generalized Rayleigh-Liénard equation \[\ddot{x}+ax+bx^3-(\lambda_1+\lambda_2x^2+\lambda_3\dot{x}^2+\lambda_4x^4+\lambda_5\dot{x}^4+\lambda_6x^6)\dot{x}=0,\] and the equivalent planar system \(X_{\lambda}\), where the coefficients of the perturbation \(\lambda_j\) are independent small parameters and \(a, b\) are fixed nonzero constants. Three cases are discussed. Using the machinery of the so called higher-order Poincaré-Pontryagin-Melnikov functions (Melnikov functions \(M_n\) for short), combined with the explicit computation of center conditions and the corresponding Bautin ideal, they obtain exact bounds for the number of the zeros of the Melnikov functions (complete elliptic integrals depending on a parameter) in an appropriate complex domain, where a modification of Petrov's method is used to derive a beautiful result in a case containing the eight loop.