File:Homoclinic bif.png

English: Author: Claire Postlethwaite. Made in xfig. A phase portrait before, at, and after a homoclinic bifurcation in 2D. The periodic orbit grows until it collides with the saddle point. At the bifurcation point the period of the periodic orbit has grown to infinity and it has become a homoclinic orbit. After the bifurcation there is no longer a periodic orbit. Left panel: For small parameter values, there is a saddle point at the origin and a limit cycle in the first quadrant. Middle panel: As the bifurcation parameter increases, the limit cycle grows until it exactly intersects the saddle point, yielding an orbit of infinite duration. Right panel: When the bifurcation parameter increases further, the limit cycle disappears completely.