A theory for imperfect bifurcation via singularity theory

Abstract

This paper applies the theory of singularities of differentiable mappings - specifically the unfolding theorem - to study the effect of imperfections in a system subject to bifurcation. In a number of special cases we have classified (up to a suitable equivalence) all the possible perturbations of the bifurcation equations by a finite number of imperfection parameters. These cases include both bifurcation from a double eigenvalue and from a simple eigenvalue degenerate in the sense of Crandall-Rabinowitz.