Heteroclinic connection of periodic solutions of delay differential equations (Q1016056)

The scalar delay equation \[ \dot x(t) = \mu[-x(t) + f(x(t-1)] \] is studied, with an odd step function \(f\). Based on explicit computation of solutions and on the representation of the dynamics by a two-dimensional return map \( \Pi\), it is shown that there exist an unstable and a stable fixed point of \( \Pi\), both corresponding to rapidly oscillating periodic solutions. An invariant manifold for \( \Pi\), which contains both fixed points and a heteroclinic orbit from the unstable to the stable one, is constructed in addition. The paper continues previous work of Ivanov, Losson, Schulze-Halberg, Stoffer, Aschwanden (roughly in historical order). It shows clearly that the stable rapidly oscillating solutions, originally discovered by Ivanov and Losson with computer assistance, are now more or less within reach of hand calculations.