Past exam of the topics in applied mathematics course of the University of Oxford / 2009 / B / 4 / a / ii / Solution

For $\nu =1$, the equilibria are $(0,0)$ and $(\pm 1,0)$. At the origin the eigenvalues are $1,-1$, so it is a saddle for every $\kappa$.

At either nonzero point the Jacobian matrix is $\left(\begin{array}{cc}0& 1\\ -2& \kappa \end{array}\right)$, with eigenvaluesBoth points are attracting for $\kappa <0$ and repelling for $\kappa >0$. For $-2\sqrt{2}<\kappa <0$ they are stable foci; for $\kappa <-2\sqrt{2}$ stable nodes. For $0<\kappa <2\sqrt{2}$ they are unstable foci; for $\kappa >2\sqrt{2}$ unstable nodes. At the two repeated-root boundaries they are degenerate nodes. At $\kappa =0$, linearization has purely imaginary eigenvalues; the conserved energy in the next part shows that they are actual nonlinear centres. Thus the zero-real-part case is resolved by an additional first integral, rather than by the linear test alone.