Delay-induced blow-up in a planar oscillation model (Q2231616)

In a well readable and detailed exposition, the authors show that an arbitrary small delay can induce finite existence intervals of solutions, and, also, a countable infinity of periodic solutions. The system investigated is, in polar coordinates, of the form \[\begin{aligned} \dot r(t) & = r(t) [1 - r(t) r(t-\tau) \cos(\theta(t)-\theta(t-\tau))], \\ \dot \theta(t) &= 1 + r(t) r(t-\tau)\sin(\theta(t)-\theta(t-\tau)). \end{aligned}\] For delay \( \tau = 0\), the resulting 2-dimensional ODE has a unique limit cycle, but for \( \tau >0\), appropriate initial functions \(r_0\) and \( \theta_0\) lead to solutions which no longer have oscillatory character. Instead, \(\theta(t) \) converges to a finite value, and then the term with \(r(t)^2\) in the \(r-\)equation causes divergence in finite time. Countably many periodic solutions with constant \(r\) can be obtained, and even their stability can be studied using a linearized stability principle for renewal equations. Numerical simulations confirm and illustrate the results.