 Quartic surface with axes and a circle as its zero set

The zero level set of $F_R$ is the union of the coordinate axes and the circle of radius $R$. The gradient isIts nine stationary points are the origin, the four axis points at distance $R$, and the four points with $x^2=y^2=R^2/4$. The factored gradient proves completeness: a zero coordinate gives the five axis cases; two nonzero coordinates give a linear system in $x^2,y^2$.

The Hessian matrix has diagonal entries $6xy$ and off-diagonal entries $3(x^2+y^2)-R^2$. At the origin its eigenvalues are $\pm R^2$; at the four unit-direction axis points they are $\pm 2R^2$. These are saddle points of a scalar function. At the two interior points with equal coordinate signs, the eigenvalues are $R^2,2R^2$, giving strict local minima of value $-R^4/8$. Opposite coordinate signs give the negative eigenvalues and strict local maxima of value $R^4/8$.

On the zero circle, $\nabla F_R=2xy(x,y{)}^T$. Hence its direction is radial outward for $xy>0$, inward for $xy<0$, and zero at the four axis crossings. This simple geometric sign rule links the zero level set to the gradient sketch without requiring numerical differentiation.