A centre of a differential system in the plane $ {\mathbb {R}}^2$ is an equilibrium point $p$ having a neighbourhood $U$ such that $U\setminus \{p\}$ is filled with periodic orbits. A centre $p$ is global when $ {\mathbb {R}}^2\setminus \{p\}$ is filled with periodic orbits. In general, it is a difficult problem to distinguish the centres from the foci for a given class of differential systems, and also it is difficult to distinguish the global centres inside the centres. The goal of this paper is to classify the centres and the global centres of the following class of quintic polynomial differential systems

\begin{align*} \dot{x}= y,\quad \dot{y}={-}x+a_{05}\,y^5+a_{14}\,x\,y^4+a_{23}\,x^2\,y^3+a_{32}\,x^3\,y^2+a_{41}\,x^4\,y+a_{50}\,x^5, \end{align*}

$ {\mathbb {R}}^2$

For a general autonomous planar polynomial differential system, it is difficult to find conditions that are easy to verify and which guarantee global asymptotic stability, weakening the Markus–Yamabe condition. In this paper, we provide three conditions that guarantee the global asymptotic stability for polynomial differential systems of the form $x^{\prime}=f_1(x,y)$, $y^{\prime}=f_2(x,y)$, where f1 has degree one, f2 has degree $n\ge 1$ and has degree one in the variable y. As a consequence, we provide sufficient conditions, weaker than the Markus–Yamabe conditions that guarantee the global asymptotic stability for any generalized Liénard polynomial differential system of the form $x^{\prime}=y$, $y^{\prime}=g_1(x) +y g_2(x)$ with g1 and g2 polynomials of degrees n and m, respectively.

We prove that perturbing the periodic annulus of the reversible quadratic polynomial differential system $\dot x=y+ax^2$, $\dot y=-x$ with a ≠ 0 inside the class of all quadratic polynomial differential systems we can obtain at most two limit cycles, including their multiplicities. Since the first integral of the unperturbed system contains an exponential function, the traditional methods cannot be applied, except in Figuerasa, Tucker and Villadelprat (2013, J. Diff. Equ., 254, 3647–3663) a computer-assisted method was used. In this paper, we provide a method for studying the problem. This is also the first purely mathematical proof of the conjecture formulated by Dumortier and Roussarie (2009, Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst., 2, 723–781) for q ⩽ 2. The method may be used in other problems.

In 1958 started the study of the families of algebraic limit cycles in the class of planar quadratic polynomial differential systems. In the present we known one family of algebraic limit cycles of degree 2 and four families of algebraic limit cycles of degree 4, and that there are no limit cycles of degree 3. All the families of algebraic limit cycles of degree 2 and 4 are known, this is not the case for the families of degree higher than 4. We also know that there exist two families of algebraic limit cycles of degree 5 and one family of degree 6, but we do not know if these families are all the families of degree 5 and 6. Until today it is an open problem to know if there are algebraic limit cycles of degree higher than 6 inside the class of quadratic polynomial differential systems. Here we investigate the birth and death of all the known families of algebraic limit cycles of quadratic polynomial differential systems.

We classify the global phase portraits in the Poincaré disc of the quadratic polynomial Liénard differential systems

\dot{x}=y, \quad \dot{y}=(ax+b)y+cx^2+dx+e,

We study the number of limit cycles bifurcating from the origin of a Hamiltonian system of degree 4. We prove, using the averaging theory of order 7, that there are quartic polynomial systems close these Hamiltonian systems having 3 limit cycles.

We provide normal forms and the global phase portraits on the Poincaré disk for all Abel quadratic polynomial diòerential equations of the second kind with ${{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}}$-symmetries.

Algebraic limit cycles in quadratic polynomial differential systems started to be studied in 1958, and a few years later the following conjecture appeared: quadratic polynomial differential systems have at most one algebraic limit cycle. We prove that a quadratic polynomial differential system having an invariant algebraic curve with at most one pair of diametrically opposite singular points at infinity has at most one algebraic limit cycle. Our result provides a partial positive answer to this conjecture.

We provide sufficient conditions for the non-existence, existence and uniqueness of limit cycles surrounding a focus of a quadratic polynomial differential system in the plane.

We study the existence of Liouvillian first integrals for the generalized Liénard polynomial differential systems of the form xʹ = y, yʹ = –g(x) – f(x)y, where f(x) = 3Q(x)Qʹ(x)P(x) + Q(x)2 Pʹ(x) and g(x) = Q(x)Qʹ(x)(Q(x)2 P(x)2 – 1) with P,Q ∈ ℂ[x]. This class of generalized Liénard polynomial differential systems has the invariant algebraic curve (y + Q(x)P(x))2 – Q(x)2 = 0 of hyperelliptic type.

We consider the class of polynomial differential systems of the form $\dot{x} =\,\lambda x\,-\,y\,+\,{{P}_{n}}\left( x,\,y \right)$ , $\dot{y} =\,x\,+\,\lambda y\,+\,{{Q}_{n}}\left( x,\,y \right)$ where ${{P}_{n}}$ and ${{Q}_{n}}$ are homogeneous polynomials of degree $n$ . For this class of differential systems we summarize the known results for the existence of limit cycles, and we provide new results for their nonexistence and existence.

We present a relationship between the existence of equilibrium points of differential systems and the cofactors of the invariant algebraic curves and the exponential factors of the system.

Polynomial vector fields which admit a prescribed Darboux integrating factor are quite well understood when the geometry of the underlying curve is non-degenerate. In the general setting, morphisms of the affine plane may remove degeneracies of the curve, and thus allow more structural insight. In the present paper we establish some properties of integrating factors subjected to morphisms, and we discuss in detail one particular class of morphisms related to finite reflection groups. The results indicate that degeneracies for the underlying curve generally impose additional restrictions on vector fields admitting a given integrating factor.

Let X be a polynomial vector field of degree n on M, M = ℝm. The dynamics and the algebraic-geometric properties of the vector fields X have been studied intensively, mainly for the case when M = ℝm, and especially when n = 2. Several papers have been dedicated to the study of the homogeneous polynomial vector field of degree n on , mainly for the case where n = 2 and M = . But there are very few results on the non-homogeneous polynomial vector fields of degree n on . This paper attempts to rectify this slightly.

We go back to the results of Poincaré [Poincare, H (1891) Sur lintegration des equations differentielles du premier ordre et du premier degre I and II, Rendiconti del circolo matematico di Palermo5, 161–191] on the multipliers of a periodic orbit for proving the C1 non-integrability of differential systems. We apply these results to Lorenz, Rossler and Michelson systems, among others.

This paper is concerned with a relation of Darboux in enumerative geometry, which has very useful applications in the study of polynomial vector fields. The original statement of Darboux was not correct. The present paper gives two different elementary proofs of this relation. The first one follows the ideas of Darboux, and uses basic facts about the intersection index of two plane algebraic curves; the second proof is rather more sophisticated, and gives a stronger result, which should also be very useful. The power of the relation of Darboux is then illustrated by the provision of new, simple proofs of two known results. First, it is shown that an irreducible invariant algebraic curve of degree n > 1 without multiple points for a polynomial vector field of degree m satisfies n ≤ m + 1. Second, a proof is given that quadratic polynomial vector fields have no algebraic limit cycles of degree 3.

We apply the averaging theory of first, second and third order to the class of generalized polynomial Liénard differential equations. Our main result shows that for any n, m ≥ 1 there are differential equations of the form ẍ + f(x)ẋ + g(x) = 0, with f and g polynomials of degree n and m respectively, having at least [(n + m − 1)/2] limit cycles, where [·] denotes the integer part function.

For the quadratic–linear polynomial differential systems with a finite singular point, we classify the ones which have a global analytic first integral, and provide the explicit expression of their first integrals.

In this paper we prove smooth conjugate theorems of Sternberg type for almost periodic differential systems, based on the Lyapunov exponents of the corresponding reduced systems.

Given an algebraic curve in the complex affine plane, we describe how to determine all planar polynomial vector fields which leave this curve invariant. If all (finite) singular points of the curve are non-degenerate, we give an explicit expression for these vector fields. In the general setting we provide an algorithmic approach, and as an alternative we discuss sigma processes.