Structure of optimal gradient flows bifurcations on closed surfaces (2408.10687v1)

Abstract: We consider structure of typical gradient flows bifurcations on closed surfaces with minimal number of singular points. There are two type of such bifurcations: saddle-node (SN) and saddle connections (SC). The structure of a bifurcation is determinated by codimension one flow in the moment of bifurcation. We use the chord diagrams to specify the flows up to topological trajectory equivivalence. A chord diagram with a marked arc is complete topological invariant of a SN-bifurcations and a chord diagram with T-insert -- of SC-bifurcations. We list all such diagrams for flows on norientable surfaces of genus at most 2 and nonorientable surfaces of genus at most 3. For each of diagram we found inverse one that correspond the inverse flow.