Asymptotic stability of nonlinear fractional delay differential equations with α ∈ (1, 2): An application to fractional delay neural networks

Abstract

We introduce a theorem on linearized asymptotic stability for nonlinear fractional delay differential equations (FDDEs) with a Caputo order α∈(1,2), which can be directly used for fractional delay neural networks. It relies on three technical tools: a detailed root analysis for the characteristic equation, estimation for the generalized Mittag-Leffler function, and Lyapunov’s first method. We propose coefficient-type criteria to ensure the stability of linear FDDEs through a detailed root analysis for the characteristic equation obtained by the Laplace transform. Further, under the criteria, we provide a wise expression of the generalized Mittag-Leffler functions and prove their polynomial long-time decay rates. Utilizing the well-established Lyapunov’s first method, we establish that an equilibrium of a nonlinear Caputo FDDE attains asymptotically stability if its linearization system around the equilibrium solution is asymptotically stable. Finally, as a by-product of our results, we explicitly describe the asymptotic properties of fractional delay neural networks. To illustrate the effectiveness of our theoretical results, numerical simulations are also presented.