Multiple timescales and the parametrisation method in geometric singular perturbation theory

Abstract

Abstract We present a novel method for computing slow manifolds and their fast fibre bundles in geometric singular perturbation problems. This coordinate-independent method is inspired by the parametrisation method introduced by Cabré, Fontich and de la Llave. By iteratively solving a so-called conjugacy equation, our method simultaneously computes parametrisations of slow manifolds and fast fibre bundles, as well as the dynamics on these objects, to arbitrarily high degrees of accuracy. We show the power of this top-down method for the study of systems with multiple (i.e. three or more) timescales. In particular, we highlight the emergence of hidden timescales and show how our method can uncover these surprising multiple timescale structures. We also apply our parametrisation method to several reaction network problems.