Global analysis of the sunflower equation with small delay (Q4239786)

Consider the scalar differential-delay equation \[ \varepsilon dx^2/dt^2 + a dx/dt + b \sin x(t-\varepsilon)=0, \tag{\(*\)} \] where \(\varepsilon\) is a small positive parameter, the constants \(a\) and \(b\) satisfy \(a \geq b, a \geq 1\). Introducing the fast time \(\tau, t = \varepsilon \tau\), \((*)\) is equivalent to \[ d^2y/d\tau^2 + ady/d\tau + b\varepsilon \sin y(\tau -1)=0\quad\text{ for }\varepsilon > 0, \tag{\(**\)} \] where \(x(\varepsilon \tau) = y(\tau)\). The author proves that \((**)\) has a finite-dimensional invariant manifold which is Lipschitzian, exponentially attracting and tracking. This implies that for sufficiently small \(\varepsilon >0\) \((*)\) has a global attractor \(S_\varepsilon\) homeomorphic to \(S^1\).