Limit Cycles from Perturbing a Piecewise Smooth System with a Center and a Homoclinic Loop

Abstract

We study bifurcations of limit cycles arising after perturbations of a special piecewise smooth system, which has a center and a homoclinic loop. By using the Picard–Fuchs equation, we give an upper bound of the maximum number of limit cycles bifurcated from the period annulus between the center and the homoclinic loop. Furthermore, by applying the method of first-order Melnikov function we obtain a lower bound of the maximum number of limit cycles bifurcated from the center.