In 1900, David Hilbert, one of the vital influential mathematicians in historical past, introduced 23 issues that might form the way forward for arithmetic. Amongst them, the sixteenth downside stood out as one of the vital difficult, addressing the intriguing query of restrict cycles in dynamic methods described by polynomial differential equations. After over a century with no resolution, researchers from São Paulo State College (UNESP), Dr. Vinícius da Silva, Dr. João Vieira, and Professor Edson Denis Leonel, have uncovered an answer utilizing an progressive strategy primarily based on data geometry. Their findings are printed within the journal Entropy.
What’s Hilbert’s sixteenth downside?
The issue will be divided into two components. The primary offers with oval curves in Cartesian planes, whereas the second, extra complicated, seeks to find out the utmost quantity and site of restrict cycles in polynomial dynamic methods of diploma n.
Restrict cycles characterize closed, remoted trajectories in methods that repeat indefinitely, just like the oscillations of a pendulum or the conduct {of electrical} circuits. These cycles are essential for modeling pure and synthetic phenomena, from organic rhythms to communication methods.
Regardless of quite a few makes an attempt, a whole resolution remained elusive. Conventional strategies recognized restrict cycles however failed to find out their amount or exact location.
The Brazilian Breakthrough
To beat the same old difficulties in finding out restrict cycles, Dr. Vinícius Barros da Silva, Dr. João Peres Vieira, and Professor Edson Denis Leonel launched the Geometric Bifurcation Principle (GBT), a sophisticated methodology combining geometry and dynamics to research system adjustments. With the help of Riemannian scalar curvature, the researchers discovered that the utmost variety of restrict cycles is straight associated to the divergence of this curvature to infinity.
Based on Dr. da Silva, “Geometric Bifurcation Principle has revealed not solely the variety of restrict cycles but in addition their areas. Our analysis demonstrates that these repetitive patterns are linked to the conduct of the system’s scalar curvature. Extra exactly, when the curvature is constructive and reaches excessive values, it signifies the utmost variety of restrict cycles the given dynamical methods can have.”
This breakthrough was validated throughout greater than 20 dynamic methods, encompassing each easy configurations with few restrict cycles and extremely complicated methods that includes a number of restrict cycles. The outcomes had been achieved with out counting on perturbation strategies, highlighting the robustness and flexibility of the strategy.
“To date, our work has garnered over 4,500 views in lower than three months and has obtained quite a few suggestions from researchers worldwide, additional emphasizing the reliability and influence of the findings. This broad help from the scientific group underscores the importance and consistency of our resolution,” added Dr. Vieira and Dr. Leonel.
Implications and Purposes
The Brazilian discovery not solely solves a century-old mathematical downside but in addition opens doorways to sensible functions. Restrict cycles are highly effective instruments for modeling and predicting behaviors throughout numerous fields, reminiscent of biology, to know inhabitants dynamics, or engineering, to develop extra environment friendly management methods. Furthermore, GBT has the potential to revolutionize fields like cybersecurity and quantum cryptography, the place restrict cycles can be utilized to create extra sturdy communication and safety methods.
The researchers now intention to increase their findings to higher-dimensional dynamic methods, involving extra variables and complicated interactions, reminiscent of these present in quantum mechanics and neural networks.
A landmark in arithmetic historical past
By bridging ideas of geometry and dynamics, the Brazilian resolution to Hilbert’s sixteenth downside is a superb instance of how arithmetic can remodel our understanding of the universe and provide sensible instruments for scientific and technological challenges.
In abstract, this groundbreaking work solves Hilbert’s sixteenth downside whereas highlighting the potential of geometry to unlock solutions in lots of fields. By taking a recent perspective on an outdated query, the staff has not solely superior arithmetic but in addition proven how this information will be utilized to real-world methods.
Key phrases: restrict cycles, dynamic methods, David Hilbert, Geometric Bifurcation Principle, utilized arithmetic.
Journal Reference
da Silva, V.B., Vieira, J.P., & Leonel, E.D. “Exploring Restrict Cycles of Differential Equations by means of Data Geometry Unveils the Resolution to Hilbert’s sixteenth Drawback.” Entropy, 2024, 26, 745. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/e26090745
Concerning the Authors

Dr. Vinícius Barros holds a Ph.D. in utilized physics from São Paulo State College “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (UNESP), Brazil, earned in 2023. Earlier than this, he accomplished a Grasp’s diploma at UNESP in 2018 and obtained a bachelor’s in physics from the identical establishment. In 2018, Dr. Vinícius was a visiting researcher on the Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi (ISC) of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche in Italy. Dr. Vinícius has additionally obtained notable recognition for educational achievements, together with first place within the Graduate Program, Doctorate, at UNESP in 2019. Moreover, he was acknowledged as the highest pupil within the admission class for the physics course at UNESP in 2018 and acknowledged for excellent educational efficiency within the physics diploma course at UNESP the identical yr.
His analysis pursuits embody a wide selection of matters inside physics, together with dynamical methods, chaos, Fisher data geometry, differential geometry, Fisher and Rao metric, scalar curvature, and bifurcation concept. Dr. Barros’s work in statistical physics, data geometry, and dynamical methods goals to contribute considerably to advancing data in these fields.
He’s persevering with his scientific journey by searching for post-doctoral or affiliate professor positions.

Dr. João Peres Vieira earned a bachelor’s diploma in Arithmetic from the São Carlos Federal College in 1984, a Grasp’s in Arithmetic from the São Paulo College in 1988, and a Ph.D. in Arithmetic from the identical establishment in 1995. In 2012, he achieved his Habilitation in Arithmetic from São Paulo State College “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, the place he at the moment serves as an Affiliate Professor.
With intensive experience in Arithmetic, Dr. Vieira focuses on algebraic topology and dynamical methods. His main analysis pursuits give attention to mounted factors, coincidence concept, and their functions inside topological dynamics, providing necessary insights into the conduct and construction of complicated dynamical methods. His contributions mirror a deep dedication to advancing the understanding of each theoretical and utilized facets of those mathematical fields.

Dr. Edson Denis Leonel is a full professor on the Division of Physics, São Paulo State College (UNESP) at Rio Claro Campus. He holds a Bachelor’s diploma in Physics from the Federal College of Viçosa (1997), a Grasp’s (1999), and a Ph.D. in Physics (2003) from the Federal College of Minas Gerais. Dr. Edson Denis Leonel accomplished his habilitation on the Institute of Geosciences and Precise Sciences (IGCE) of UNESP in 2009 and carried out postdoctoral analysis at Lancaster College (2003–2005). In 2009, he was a Visiting Professor on the Georgia Institute of Expertise (Georgia Tech).
With experience in Chaos and Dynamical Techniques, his analysis focuses on time sequence evaluation, scaling legal guidelines, discrete mappings, chaotic dynamics, Fermi acceleration, classical billiards, and mobile automata. He has been acknowledged with the V. Afraimovich Award by the Worldwide Convention on Nonlinear Science and Complexity in 2023. As a devoted educator, he contributes to each undergraduate and graduate applications. Moreover, he served as Vice-Dean of the Institute of Geosciences and Precise Sciences (IGCE) from 2017 to 2021 and is at the moment the Dean (2021–2025).

