Saddle-node canard cycles in planar piecewise linear differential systems

Abstract: By applying a singular perturbation approach, canard limit cycles exhibited by a general family of singularly perturbed planar piecewise linear (PWL) differential systems are analyzed. The performed study involves both hyperbolic and non-hyperbolic canard limit cycles appearing after both a supercritical and a subcritical Hopf bifurcation. The obtained results are completely comparable with those obtained for smooth vector fields. In some sense, the manuscript can be understood as an extension towards the PWL framework of the results obtained for smooth systems by Krupa and Szmolyan [18]. In addition, some novel slow-fast behaviors are obtained. In particular, in the supercritical case, and under suitable conditions, it is proved that the limit cycles are organized along a curve exhibiting two folds. Each of these folds corresponds to a saddle-node bifurcation of canard limit cycles, one involving headless canard cycles, whereas the other involving canard cycles with head. This configuration allows the coexistence of three canard limit cycles.