A global bifurcation changes an invariant set through a global orbit connection or collision that cannot be identified by a single equilibrium point's linearization alone. For example, a global bifurcation through a saddle homoclinic orbit occurs when an outgoing unstable separatrix returns to the same saddle equilibrium's stable manifold. A smooth global Poincaré return map then combines with a local passage map to determine which side contains a periodic orbit. A heteroclinic orbit instead joins distinct equilibrium points; an energy-balance or Melnikov integral can locate its breaking in a nearly Hamiltonian system.
New to topics? Read the docs here!