The Second Painlev\'e Equation in the Large-Parameter Limit I: Local Asymptotic Analysis

Abstract

In this paper, we find all possible asymptotic behaviours of the solutions of the second Painlev\'e equation $y''=2y^3+xy +\alpha$ as the parameter $\alpha\to\infty$ in the local region $x\ll\alpha^{2/3}$. We prove that these are asymptotic behaviours by finding explicit error bounds. Moreover, we show that they are connected and complete in the sense that they correspond to all possible values of initial data given at a point in the local region.