No label defined (Q4247904)

For the equation \(\ddot x+ f(x)\dot x+ g(x)= 0\), or the equivalent system \[ \dot x= y- F(x),\quad \dot y= -g(x),\tag{1} \] with \(F(x)= \int^x_0 f(u)du\), \(G(x)= \int^x_0 g(u)du\), the following two theorems are proved: Theorem 1. Assume \(xg(x)>0\) \((x\neq 0)\). If there exists an \(a>0\) such that when \(| x|\geq a\) we have \(\text{sgn}(x)f(x)/g(x)\geq c>0\), where \(c>\max\{4/F(a),-4/F(-a)\}\), \(f(0)<0\), \(\lim_{| x|\to\infty} F(x)= +\infty\), \(\lim_{| x|\to\infty} G(x)= +\infty\), then (1) has at least one stable limit cycle. Theorem 2. Assume in (1) \(xg(x)> 0\) \((x\neq 0)\). If there exists an \(a_1>0\), such that when \(| x|<a_1\) we have \(f(x)<0\) and \(f(\pm a_1)= 0\), when \(| x|>a_1\) we have \((f(x)/g(x))\geq 0\), \(\lim_{| x|\to\infty}| F(x)|= +\infty\), \(\lim_{| x|\to\infty} G(x)=+ \infty\), then (1) has a unique stable limit cycle. Some corollaries are obtained for the equation \[ \ddot x+ (f(x)+ g(x)\dot x) \dot x+h(x)= 0, \] since it is equivalent to the system \[ \dot x= y-b(x),\quad \dot y= -a^2(x) h(x), \] with \(a(x)= \exp\left(\int^x_0 g(x)du\right)\), \(b(x)= \int^x_0 a(u)f(u)du\).