No label defined (Q4454882)

The equation \(x'(t) = - \mu x(t) + f(x(t-1))\) is studied for the case of \(f\) with negative feedback and negative \(\mu\), which leads to the presence of unbounded solutions. This situation is motivated by applications from economy, electrical engineering or automatic control. Focusing on the `caricature' case \(f(x) = -a \text{ sign}(x) \; (a >0) \) allows explicit calculations. Main results are simplicity of zeroes, existence of a zero-counting Lyapunov functional, of slowly and rapidly oscillating periodic solutions, and the structure of their stable sets. Stable sets can be described as graphs of multi-valued functions over stable spaces, which is due to the non-invertibility of the dynamics. A Poincaré map \(R\) is conjugate to a finite dimensional map \(f\) (given by explicit formulas), and dynamical properties of \(R\) can thus be inferred from those of \(f\), in particular, from the eigenvalues of \(Df\) at fixed-points. Thus, techniques familiar from earlier examples are successfully employed in a situation not considered before. The paper exhibits a high level of mathematical precision in detail.