Necessary and sufficient conditions for oscillations of second-order neutral equations (Q1118091)

Consider the neutral delay differential equation \[ (1)\quad [y(t)+py(t- \tau)]''+qy(t-\sigma)=0 \] for constants \(p,q\in {\mathbb{R}}\), \(\sigma,\tau \in {\mathbb{R}}_+\). Theorem. Equation (1) is oscillatory if and only if the characteristic equation \(\lambda^ 2(1+pe^{-\tau \lambda})+qe^{- \sigma \lambda}=0\) has no real roots. Parallel results for first order neutral delay differential equations were obtained recently by \textit{E. A. Grove}, the first author and \textit{A. Meimaridou} [same J. 126, 341-354 (1987; Zbl 0649.34069)], \textit{M. R. S. Kulenovic, the first author and \textit{A. Meimaridou}} [J. Austral. Math. Soc. B 28, 362-375 (1987; Zbl 0616.34064)], and the third author and \textit{Stavroulakis} [same J., in press].