Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2003 / iii / Paper 60 / 2 / ii / Solution

Let the equilibrium be $A_{\ast }=R{e}^{i\theta }$ and write $\delta A=e^{i\theta }(u+iv)$. The linearization of the cubic term gives $\delta (|A{|}^{2}A)=2s\delta A+A_{\ast }^2\delta \overline{A}$. Therefore the real stability matrix isIts eigenvalues obeyThe square root may be imaginary; stability uses real parts. The determinant $D$ is exactly $F_s$, so a zero eigenvalue occurs only at the turning points derived above. Away from the cusp those are ordinary saddle-node bifurcations; the parameterization joining point has $D>0$.

At a candidate Hopf bifurcation, the trace vanishes: ${\mu }_H=2s_H$. Substitution into the steady cubic gives $s_H(s_H^2+{\Lambda }^2)=1$, which has one positive root. The pair is genuinely imaginary only ifThus $s_H<2^{-1/3}$ and, equivalently,This direct calculation proves the threshold without needing the additional monotonicity assumption. The equality gives a double-zero eigenvalue, not an ordinary Hopf bifurcation. Along a fixed-$\Lambda$ branch, implicit differentiation gives $ds/d\mu =-2s(\mu -s)/D$; at this crossing $d\mathrm{Re}\sigma /d\mu =1+4s_H^2/D_H>0$. A nonzero nonlinear Hopf coefficient then gives the usual Hopf bifurcation.

The fold and Hopf thresholds of a directly forced cubic amplitude divide the diagrams into three regimes. At noncritical points the two eigenvalues, counted with multiplicity by the signs of their real parts, are classified as follows:

At a fold one eigenvalue is zero; at a Hopf point the pair has zero real part. These nonhyperbolic points are marked separately in the sketches.