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multiple time scale dynamics with two fast variables and one slow ...

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[39, 40, 41, 42]). It states that for everyǫ sufficiently small <strong>and</strong> C0 normally hy-<br />

perbolic there exists a family of invariant manifolds Cǫ for the flow (3.1). The<br />

manifolds are at a distance O(ǫ) from C0 <strong>and</strong> the flows on them converge to the<br />

<strong>slow</strong> flow on C0 asǫ→ 0. Points p∈C0 where Dx f (p) is singular are referred to<br />

as fold points 1 .<br />

Beyond Fenichel’s Theorem many other techniques have been developed.<br />

More detailed introductions <strong>and</strong> results can be found in [1, 71, 49] from a geo-<br />

metric viewpoint. Asymptotic methods are developed in [93, 47] whereas ideas<br />

from nonst<strong>and</strong>ard analysis are introduced in [28]. While the theory is well de-<br />

veloped for <strong>two</strong>-dimensional <strong>fast</strong>-<strong>slow</strong> systems, higher-dimensional <strong>fast</strong>-<strong>slow</strong><br />

systems are an active area of current research. In the following we shall fo-<br />

cus on the FitzHugh-Nagumo equation viewed as a three-dimensional <strong>fast</strong>-<strong>slow</strong><br />

system.<br />

3.2.2 The FitzHugh-Nagumo Equation<br />

The FitzHugh-Nagumo equation is a simplification of the Hodgin-Huxley<br />

model for an electric potential of a nerve axon [65]. The first version was de-<br />

veloped by FitzHugh [43] <strong>and</strong> is a <strong>two</strong>-dimensional system of ODEs:<br />

ǫ ˙u = v− u3<br />

+ u+ p<br />

3<br />

(3.3)<br />

˙v = − 1<br />

s (v+γu−a)<br />

1 The projection of C0 onto the x coordinates may have more degenerate singularities than<br />

fold singularities at some of these points.<br />

62

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