A state-dependent delay equation with negative feedback and ``mildly unstable'' rapidly oscillating periodic solutions (Q379002)

The state-dependent differential delay equation of the form \[ x^\prime(t)=f(x(t-d(x(t)))\tag{1} \] is considered under the assumptions that \(f(\cdot)\) is a smooth bounded non-increasing function satisfying the negative feedback condition \(x\cdot f(x)<0, x\neq0\), and the delay \(d(\cdot)\) is a smooth and bounded function satisfying \(d(0)=1, 0<d(\cdot)\leq1\). For a special case of the nonlinearity \(f\), when it is close to a step-like function, the existence and stability properties of certain rapidly oscillating periodic solutions are studied. The special form of \(f\) allows for a reduction of dynamics of equation (1) near periodic solutions to finite-dimensional maps \(R\), whose fixed points correspond to periodic solutions. The existence of the so-called ``mildly unstable'' periodic solutions is proved. More specifically, it is shown that for arbitrary \(\varepsilon>0\) a nonlinearity \(f\) can be constructed such that the spectral radius of the linearization \(DR\) of the map \(R\) about the fixed point corresponding to the rapidly oscillating periodic solution of delay equation (1) is \(1+\varepsilon\).