We investigate bifurcations in feedforward coupled cell networks. Feedforward structure (the absence of feedback) can be defined by a partial order on the cells. We use this property to study generic one-parameter steady state bifurcations for such networks. Branching solutions and their asymptotics are described in terms of Taylor coefficients of the internal dynamics. They can be determined via an algorithm that only exploits the network structure. Similar to previous results on feedforward chains, we observe amplifications of the growth rates of steady state branches induced by the feedforward structure. However, contrary to these earlier results, as the interaction scenarios can be more complicated in general feedforward networks, different branching patterns and different amplifications can occur for different regions in the space of Taylor coefficients.

The authors of Berg et al. [J. Algebra 348 (2011) 446–461] provide an algorithm for finding a complete system of primitive orthogonal idempotents for CM, where M is any finite R-trivial monoid. Their method relies on a technical result stating that R-trivial monoid are equivalent to so-called weakly ordered monoids. We provide an alternative algorithm, based only on the simple observation that an R-trivial monoid may be realized by upper triangular matrices. This approach is inspired by results in the field of coupled cell network dynamical systems, where L-trivial monoids (the opposite notion) correspond to so-called feed-forward networks. We first show that our algorithm works for ZM, after which we prove that it also works for RM where R is an arbitrary ring with a known complete system of primitive orthogonal idempotents. In particular, our algorithm works if R is any field. In this respect our result constitutes a considerable generalization of the results in Berg et al. [J. Algebra 348 (2011) 446–461]. Moreover, the system of idempotents for RM is obtained from the one our algorithm yields for ZM in a straightforward manner. In other words, for any finite R-trivial monoid M our algorithm only has to be performed for ZM, after which a system of idempotents follows for any ring with a given system of idempotents.

Dynamical systems often admit geometric properties that must be taken into account when studying their behavior. We show that many such properties can be encoded by means of quiver representations. These properties include classical symmetry, hidden symmetry, and feedforward structure, as well as subnetwork and quotient relations in network dynamical systems. A quiver equivariant dynamical system consists of a collection of dynamical systems with maps between them that send solutions to solutions. We prove that such quiver structures are preserved under Lyapunov--Schmidt reduction, center manifold reduction, and normal form reduction.

We prove that steady state bifurcations in finite-dimensional dynamical systems that are symmetric with respect to a monoid representation generically occur along an absolutely indecomposable subrepresentation. This is stated as a conjecture in [B. Rink and J. Sanders, SIAM J. Math. Anal., 46 (2014), pp. 1577--1609]. It is a generalization of the well-known fact that generic steady state bifurcations in equivariant dynamical systems occur along an absolutely irreducible subrepresentation if the symmetries form a group---finite or compact Lie. Our generalization also includes noncompact symmetry groups. The result has applications in bifurcation theory of homogeneous coupled cell networks as they can be embedded (under mild additional assumptions) into monoid equivariant systems.

In this paper we continue the study of group representations which are counterexamples to the Ize conjecture. As in previous papers we find new infinite series of finite groups leading to such counterexamples. These new series are quite different from the previous ones, for example the group orders do not form an arithmetic progression. However, as before we find Lie groups which contain all these groups. This additional structure was observed, but not used in the previous studies of this problem. Here we also investigate the related bifurcations. To a large extent, these are closely related to the presence of mentioned compact Lie group containing the finite groups. This might give a tool to study the bifurcations related to all low dimensional counterexamples of the Ize conjecture. It also gives an indication of where we can expect to find examples where the bifurcation behaviour is different from what we have seen in the known examples.