Saddle-node curves of a signed power gluing map Created 2026-10-14 Updated 2026-11-05
For , a nonzero fixed point satisfiesAssume , and . A saddle-node bifurcation has multiplier , so it occurs at withAt either nonzero point, is nonzero and the parameter enters additively, giving the ordinary nondegenerate fold conditions.
When , define . The scalar extension has three fixed-point branches for : two stable outer branches and an unstable inner branch. For nonzero fixed points, their derivatives are below and above one because decreases with . At , the inner branch lies at the singular separatrix value; the signed gluing-map reduction explains why it is excluded as a finite-time flow return.
For fixed and from below, the fold magnitude has asymptotic value . This is the half-width; the total parameter interval has width . The exponentially narrow gluing-map cusp gives the exact rescaling. For approaching one, the formal fold coordinate instead tends to infinity, outside the local return-map region.