This book contains the lecture series originally delivered at the Advanced Course on Limit Cycles of Differential Equations in the Centre de Rechercha Mathematica Barcelona in 2006. It covers the center-focus problem for polynomial vector fields, and the application of abelian integrals to limit cycle bifurcations. Both topics are related to the authors' interests in Hilbert's sixteenth problem, but would also be of interest to those working more generally in the qualitative theory of dynamical systems.

Gives a survey of current areas of active research Written in an approachable manner suitable for graduate students Provides updates, further clarifications and remarks

Autorentext

Colin Christopher is Associate Head of School at the University of Plymouth in Devon, UK. Chengzhi Li is Professor Emeritus at the Peking University in China. Joan Torregrosa is Associate Professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in Bellaterra, Spain.

Inhalt
Part I: Around the Center-Focus Problem.- 1 Centers and Limit Cycles.- 2 Darboux Integrability.- 3 Liouvillian Integrability.- 4 Symmetry.- 5 Cherkas' Systems.- 6 Monodromy.- 7 The Tangential Center-Focus Problem.- 8 Monodromy of Hyperelliptic Abelian Integrals.- 9 Holonomy and the Lotka-Volterra System.- 10 Other Approaches.- Part II: Abelian Integrals and Applications to the Weak Hilbert's 16th Problem.- 1 Hilbert's 16th Problem and Its Weak Form.- 2 Abelian Integrals and Limit Cycles.- 3 Estimate of the Number of Zeros of Abelian Integrals.- 4 A Unified Proof of the Weak Hilbert's 16th Problem for n=2.