A proof of Jones' conjecture (Q1710557)

In this paper the author completes a proof of a long standing conjecture that the well-known Wright's differential delay equation \[ y^{\prime}(t)=-\alpha y(t-1)\left[1+y(t)\right]\tag{1} \] has a unique slowly oscillating periodic solution for every $\alpha>\frac\pi2$. A solution of equation (1) is defined as slowly oscillating if the distance between its consecutive zeros is greater than the delay $\tau=1$. The existence of slowly oscillating periodic solutions to equation (1) for all $\alpha>\frac\pi2$ is a well-known fact that was established in mid fifties -- early sixties through the works of E. M. Wright and G. S. Jones. \textit{G. S. Jones} had also conjectured that such periodic solution is unique for every $\alpha$ [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 5, 435--450 (1962; Zbl 0106.29504)]. \par The earlier work by \textit{X. Xie} has in particular established the uniqueness of the slowly oscillating periodic solution for all $\alpha\in[5.67,\infty)$ [J. Differ. Equations 103, No. 2, 350--374 (1993; Zbl 0780.34054)]. By using similar ideas and a computer assisted proof \textit{J. Jaquette} et al. have shown the uniqueness of the slowly oscillating periodic solution for every $\alpha\in[1.9,6.0]$ [J. Differ. Equations 263, No. 11, 7263--7286 (2017; Zbl 1382.34069)]. The present paper completes the proof of the conjecture by showing the uniqueness of the periodic solution for the remaining range of the parameter values $\alpha\in(\frac\pi2, 1.9]$. The proof is computer assisted through a particular method of interval arithmetic developed for the case of Wright's equation by the author and others in a series of earlier publications. The paper also shows that Wright's equation has no isolas of slowly oscillating periodic solutions: every slowly oscillating periodic solution belongs to the primary branch that bifurcates off at $\alpha=\frac\pi2$ and is a continuous curve for all $\alpha>\frac\pi2$ in the $(\alpha, z)$-plane, where $z>0$ is the amplitude of the slowly oscillating periodic solution that exists at the parameter value $\alpha$.