Limiting behavior of trajectories of complex polynomial vector fields

Abstract

We prove that every trajectory of a polynomial vector field on the complex projective plane accumulates to the singular locus of the vector field. This statement represents a holomorphic version of the Poincare-Bendixson theorem and solves the complex analytic counterpart of Hilbert's 16th problem. The main result can be also reformulated as the nonexistence of "exceptional minimals" of holomorphic foliations on $\pp^2$ and, in particular, implies the nonexistence of real analytic Levi flat hypersurfaces in the complex projective plane. Finally, we describe (in the first approximation) the way a minimal complex trajectory approaches the singular locus of the vector field.