Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bridges, Thomas J., Lloyd, David J. B., Ratliff, Daniel J., Sprenger, Patrick
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.05680
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915777856143360
author Bridges, Thomas J.
Lloyd, David J. B.
Ratliff, Daniel J.
Sprenger, Patrick
author_facet Bridges, Thomas J.
Lloyd, David J. B.
Ratliff, Daniel J.
Sprenger, Patrick
contents Heteroclinic connections between two distinct hyperbolic periodic orbits in conservative systems are important in a wide range of applications. On the other hand, it is theoretically challenging to find large amplitude connections from scratch and compute them numerically. In this paper, we use a codimension two singularity, in a family of periodic orbits, as an organizing center for the emergence of heteroclinic connections. A normal form is derived whose unfolding produces two distinct finite amplitude periodic orbits with an explicit heteroclinic connection. We also construct heteroclinic connections far from the singularity by numerical continuation, using two numerical strategies: shooting and the core-farfield decomposition. A key geometric tool in the numerics is cylindrical foliations for the stable and unstable manifolds and their intersection. We introduce a new property of heteroclinic connections - the action - and show it is an invariant along foliations, it has a jump at a surface of section, and it appears in a central way in the normal form theory. We find that the difference in asymptotic phase between minus and plus infinity is also a key property. The theory is applied to the Swift-Hohenberg equation, the nonlinear Schrodinger with fourth order dispersion, and coupled Boussinesq equations from water waves, all of which have an energy and action conservation law.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_05680
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Heteroclinic connections between finite-amplitude periodic orbits emerging from a codimension two singularity
Bridges, Thomas J.
Lloyd, David J. B.
Ratliff, Daniel J.
Sprenger, Patrick
Dynamical Systems
Pattern Formation and Solitons
37J45 35B36 37C29
Heteroclinic connections between two distinct hyperbolic periodic orbits in conservative systems are important in a wide range of applications. On the other hand, it is theoretically challenging to find large amplitude connections from scratch and compute them numerically. In this paper, we use a codimension two singularity, in a family of periodic orbits, as an organizing center for the emergence of heteroclinic connections. A normal form is derived whose unfolding produces two distinct finite amplitude periodic orbits with an explicit heteroclinic connection. We also construct heteroclinic connections far from the singularity by numerical continuation, using two numerical strategies: shooting and the core-farfield decomposition. A key geometric tool in the numerics is cylindrical foliations for the stable and unstable manifolds and their intersection. We introduce a new property of heteroclinic connections - the action - and show it is an invariant along foliations, it has a jump at a surface of section, and it appears in a central way in the normal form theory. We find that the difference in asymptotic phase between minus and plus infinity is also a key property. The theory is applied to the Swift-Hohenberg equation, the nonlinear Schrodinger with fourth order dispersion, and coupled Boussinesq equations from water waves, all of which have an energy and action conservation law.
title Heteroclinic connections between finite-amplitude periodic orbits emerging from a codimension two singularity
topic Dynamical Systems
Pattern Formation and Solitons
37J45 35B36 37C29
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.05680