On the dynamical behaviour of FitzHugh-Nagumo systems: revisited (Q923923)

The authors essentially consider the planar system \[ \begin{aligned} {dx\over dt} &= -Cy- Ax(x- B)(x-\lambda),\\ {dy\over dt} &= \varepsilon(x-\delta y)\end{aligned}\tag{\(*\)} \] containing the classical FitzHugh-Nagumo system (without applied current) as special case. In the (usual) case \(0<\varepsilon\ll 1\) they apply a theorem due to \textit{E. F. Mishchenko} and \textit{N. Kh. Rozov} [Differential equations with small parameters and relaxation oscillations. Translation from the Russian by F. M. C. Goodspeed. Plenum Press (1980; Zbl 0482.34004)] in order to derive conditions for the existence of relaxation oscillations of system \((*)\). In the final part of the paper the authors study Hopf bifurcation from the equilibrium point at the origin. By computing the Lyapunov numbers they prove that the cyclicity of this equilibrium point is two, that means that at most two limit cycles may bifurcate from the origin.