Bogdanov–Takens bifurcation

A Bogdanov–Takens bifurcation has a double zero eigenvalue with a nontrivial Jordan block and generic two-parameter unfolding. Its local diagram includes saddle-node bifurcations, Hopf bifurcations, and a curve of small homoclinic orbits. A weakly perturbed Hamiltonian scaling can locate the homoclinic curve through energy balance.

For $\lambda >0$, the equilibrium points are the origin and $(s,s^2)$ with $s=(1\pm \sqrt{1+4\mu })/2$. The nonzero branches have Jacobian trace $s-\lambda$ and determinant $\lambda s(2s-1)$. They have a saddle-node bifurcation at $\mu =-1/4$, $s=1/2$; the origin exchanges stability with the lower branch at the transcritical bifurcation $\mu =0$. A Hopf bifurcation occurs on the upper branch at $\mu =\lambda (\lambda -1)$ for $\lambda >1/2$. The point $(\mu ,\lambda )=(-1/4,1/2)$ has a double zero eigenvalue and a nontrivial Jordan block. Its generic unfolding includes a saddle-loop curve and the intervening stable periodic orbit region.

For $\dot{u}=u(\mu +u-v)$, $\dot{v}=\lambda u^2$ in $u>0$, the time change $d\tau /dt=u$ gives the affine linear system $u_{\tau }=\mu +u-v$, $v_{\tau }=\lambda u$. Shifting $w=v-\mu$ removes the forcing. Its eigenvalues are $(1\pm \sqrt{1-4\lambda })/2$. For $\lambda >1/4$, putting $\omega =\sqrt{4\lambda -1}/2$ givesFor fixed $\mu >0$ and initial $h,v_0$ tending to zero, the first return to small positive $u$ occurs after approximately $\pi /\omega =2\pi /\sqrt{4\lambda -1}$. This is a half-turn, not a full turn. At $\lambda =1/4$, $u=e^{\tau /2}[h+(\mu +h/2-v_0)\tau ]$ does not return and grows without bound. The loss of return diagnoses escape to infinity rather than a finite-amplitude homoclinic orbit. Physical time obeys $dt=d\tau /u$ and need not share the divergent desingularized travel time.

For $\lambda >0$, the equilibrium points are $x=\pm \sqrt{\lambda }$, $y=0$. The positive branch is a saddle; the negative branch has a subcritical Hopf bifurcation at $\mu =\sqrt{\lambda }$. A homoclinic orbit occurs at $\mu =(5/7)\sqrt{\lambda }+O(\lambda )$ near the double-zero point. Between this homoclinic curve and the Hopf curve, an unstable periodic orbit surrounds a stable equilibrium point. The factor $5/7$ follows from a Melnikov energy-balance method, using the integrals of $v^2$ and $u{v}^2$ along the leading conservative saddle loop.

// Destination: dynamical-systems.bigb

The sign $\sigma =\pm 1$ distinguishes an inverted quartic potential from a double-well potential. The origin has determinant $\lambda$ and trace $\kappa$. Nonzero equilibria obey $q^2=\lambda /\sigma$, with determinant $-2\lambda$ and trace $\kappa -2\lambda$. Its energy $p^2/2+\lambda q^2/2-\sigma q^4/4$ has derivative $(\kappa -2\sigma q^2)p^2$. The origin's Hopf bifurcation is supercritical for $\sigma =1$ and subcritical for $\sigma =-1$. In the latter case the nonzero equilibria have supercritical Hopf bifurcations at $\kappa =2\lambda <0$.

// Target: dynamical-systems.bigb

For a reflection-symmetric vector field $\dot{u}=v+f_{30}{u}^3+f_{21}{u}^{2}v+\cdots$, $\dot{v}=g_{30}{u}^3+g_{21}{u}^{2}v+\cdots$, introduce $x=u$, $y=\dot{u}$. Differentiating gives $\dot{x}=y$ and a cubic acceleration with $x^{2}y$ coefficient $b=g_{21}+3f_{30}$. The contribution $3f_{30}$ comes from differentiating the first equation's cubic term. Further cubic near-identity transformations can remove nonresonant terms but cannot turn $b=0$ into a nonzero coefficient by a nonsingular scaling. This is a useful check before assigning a generic reflection-symmetric Bogdanov–Takens bifurcation to a calculated Taylor expansion.

For a vector field with linear part $\dot{u}=v$, $\dot{v}=0$ and cubic terms $a_i{u}^3+b_i{u}^{2}v+c_{i}u{v}^2+d_i{v}^3$, write $(u,v)=(x,y)+(h_1,h_2)$ with homogeneous cubic $h_i$. The transformed cubic field is $f_3+Ah-DhA(x,y{)}^T$, where $A(x,y{)}^T=(y,0{)}^T$. Taking the coefficients of $h_2$ to be $(-a_1,c_2/2,d_2,0)$ and those of $h_1$ to be $((b_1+c_2/2)/3,(c_1+d_2)/2,d_1,0)$ eliminates every cubic term in $\dot{x}$ and the $x{y}^2,y^3$ terms in $\dot{y}$. The remaining normal form is $\dot{x}=y$, $\dot{y}=P{x}^3+Q{x}^{2}y$ through cubic order. The invariant damping coefficient contains the contribution $3a_1$ from differentiating the first equation.

Near a nilpotent origin with $\sigma =1$, $\mu =0$, the weighted scaling $u_{\mathrm{old}}={\epsilon }^{2}u$, $v_{\mathrm{old}}=\epsilon v$, $\tau =\epsilon t$, ${\mu }_{\mathrm{old}}={\epsilon }^2\mu$, $\sigma =1+{\epsilon }^{2}s$ makes the leading cubic confinement flow $u^{\prime }=-sv+v^3/2$, $v^{\prime }=2u$. Direct differentiation proves conservation of $H=u^2+s{v}^2/2-v^4/8$. For $s>0$ the origin is a centre and $(0,\pm \sqrt{2s})$ are saddles. Their heteroclinic connections have $H=s^2/2$ and $u=\pm (2s-v^2)/(2\sqrt{2})$ for $|v|\le \sqrt{2s}$. Positive lower energy levels surround the centre; higher levels escape the potential well.