Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-algebra-analysis-and-differential-equations-1-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2009/9/solution

An equilibrium has from the first equation. Substitution in the second gives , so the origin is the only real equilibrium. Its Jacobian matrix is
Purely imaginary linear eigenvalues alone do not classify the nonlinear equilibrium. Use instead
Its derivatives are and , so the vector field is . The chain rule gives . Therefore the nonstationary trajectories in the phase portrait lie on the level curves
The quadratic part is positive definite, with eigenvalues and , so has a strict local minimum at zero. Small positive level sets are smooth closed ovals surrounding it, and the vector field never vanishes on them. They are periodic orbits. Thus the origin is a nonlinear centre, Lyapunov stable but not asymptotically stable. The near-origin ellipses have their long axis along . At with , the velocity points downward, fixing clockwise orientation.
Figure 1.
Clockwise closed trajectories around the nonlinear centre, given by the conserved level sets
. Details.

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