Homoclinic orbit: starts and ends in the same
unstable equilibrium point.
Heteroclinic orbit: links several unstable
equilibrium points.
8. Lagrangian dynamics
= constraint forcej
9. Linear systems
Eigenvalues:
Eigenvalues λ
Type of point
Stability
2 real with opposite signs
saddle point
unstable
2 real and positive
repulsive node
unstable
2 real and negative
attractive node
stable
2 complex with positive real part
repulsive focus
unstable
2 complex with negative real part
attractive focus
stable
2 imaginary
center
stable
1 real, positive
improper node
unstable
1 real, negative
improper node
stable
10. Nonlinear systems
Jacobian matrix:
At each equilibrium point, it is the matrix of the linear
approximation to the system near that point.
11. Limit cycles and population dynamics
Limit cycle: Isolated cycle in phase space.
Two-species systems
12. Chaotic systems
Positive limit set:
= where
curve
goes at
→∞
Negative limit set:
= where
curve
goes at
→−∞
Divergence:
Poincaré-Bendixson theorem. In a system with only
two state variables, if
or
exist, they must be one of the following three cases:
equilibrium point;
cycle;
homoclinic or heteroclinic orbit.
With 3 or more state variables, a limit set that does not
belong to any of those three classes is called a strange
attractor.
Bendixson criterium. In a dynamical system with only
two state variables, if the divergence is always positive or
always negative in a simply-connected region of the phase
space, then there are no cycles or orbits in that
region.