Singularity theory and forced symmetry breaking in equations (Q987143)

The paper studies the bifurcation equivalence for symmetry breaking bifurcation problems. The case of forced symmetry breaking is considered, where the symmetries of the equations change when some parameters are varied. A general theory of unfolding, finite determinacy and the recognition problem is presented for the n-dimensional problems with two parameters, where the symmetry of the equations is reduced if one of the parameters is switched on. As an example, the \((O(2),1)\)-symmetry breaking bifurcation problems of topological codimensions \(0\) and \(1\) are classified, and the corresponding bifurcation diagrams are illustrated. A complete list of normal forms up to topological codimension \(2\) is discussed as well. The application of the presented theory is illustrated on a few examples of the forced symmetry breaking in the autonomous equations, nonlinear second order boundary value problems and reaction-diffusion equations.