Wright type delay differential equations with negative Schwarzian. (Q1865958)

The paper presents new sufficient conditions for the global stability of the zero solution to the scalar delay differential equation \[ x'(t)=f(x(t-1)), \tag{1} \] where \(f\in C^3(\mathbb{R},\mathbb{R})\) satisfies the properties: \(xf(x)<0\) for \(x\neq0\) and \(f'(0)<0\); \(f\) is bounded from below and has at most one critical point \(x^*\in\mathbb{R}\) which is a local extremum; \((Sf)(x)<0\) for all \(x\neq x^*\), where \(Sf=f'''(f')^{-1} -(3/2)(f'')^2(f')^{-2}\) is the Schwarz derivative of \(f\). The Wright equation \(y'(t)=-py(t-1)[1+y(t)]\) is reduced to the form (1) with \(f(x)=p(e^{-x}-1)\) by the transformation \(x=-\ln(1+y)\) for \(y>-1\). The authors propose the following conjecture: if \(0<-f'(0)<\pi/2\), then every solution to (1) tends to zero as \(t\to+\infty\), and they prove the sufficiency of the stronger condition \(0<-f'(0)\leq 3/2<\pi/2\). They extend the well known Wright conjecture and 3/2-stability condition [\textit{E. M. Wright}, J. Reine Angew. Math. 194, 66--87 (1955; Zbl 0064.34203)] to the more general delay equation (1). To prove the main result, the authors follow an idea from the paper [\textit{A. Ivanov, E. Liz} and \textit{S. Trofimchuk}, Tohoku Math. J., II. Ser. 54, 277--295 (2002; Zbl 1025.34078)] and construct some one-dimensional maps inheriting important properties of a dynamical system generated by equation (1). One more application of the Schwarzian negativity condition is given in the paper by \textit{E. Liz, C. Martinez} and \textit{S. Trofimchuk} [Differ. Integral. Equ. 15, 875--896 (2002; Zbl 1032.34073)].