Bifurcation theory is a major topic in dynamical systems theory with profound applications. However, in contrast to autonomous dynamical systems, it is not clear what a bifurcation of a nonautonomous dynamical system actually is, and so far, various different approaches to describe qualitative changes have been suggested in the literature. The aim of this book is to provide a concise survey of the area and equip the reader with suitable tools to tackle nonautonomous problems. A review, discussion and comparison of several concepts of bifurcation is provided, and these are formulated in a unified notation and illustrated by means of comprehensible examples. Additionally, certain relevant tools needed in a corresponding analysis are presented.

Although, bifurcation theory of equations with autonomous and periodic time dependence is a major object of research in the study of dynamical systems since decades, the notion of a nonautonomous bifurcation is not yet established. In this book, two different approaches are developed which are based on special definitions of local attractivity and repulsivity. It is shown that these notions lead to nonautonomous Morse decompositions.