On spectral properties of fourth order differential operator with periodic and semiperiodic boundary conditions (Q2354937)

The paper is concerned with the study of spectral properties of the fourth order differential operator \(L_{bc}: \mathcal{D} \to L^2([0,1])\) defined by \[ L_{bc} \, y (t) : = y^{(4)}(t) + a(t) \, y''(t) + b(t) \, y(t) \qquad (a,b \in L^2([0,1])) \] whose domain \(\mathcal{D}\) consists of all functions \(y\) in the Sobolev space \(W^4_2([0,1])\) satisfying one of the following boundary conditions: {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize}\item[(i)] Periodic: \(y^{(k)}(0)=y^{(k)}(1)\) for \(k=0,1,2,3\). \item[(ii)] Anti-periodic: \(y^{(k)}(0)=-y^{(k)}(1)\) for \(k=0,1,2,3\). \end{itemize}} The spectrum of \(L_{bc}\) is well-known to be discrete. The author presents complicated expressions for the eigenvalues \(\lambda_n\) of \(L_{bc}\) in terms of the Fourier coefficients of \(a\) under boundary conditions (i) and (ii) and from which he derives the asymptotic results \[ \lambda_n = (2\pi n)^4 + 2\pi n a_0 + O(1) \qquad (\text{Periodic}) \] and \[ \lambda_n = (2\pi (n+1))^4 + 2\pi (n+1) a_0 + O(1) \qquad (\text{Anti-periodic}). \] The author concludes with some results on the spectral decomposition of \(L_{bc}\) in terms of Riesz projectors and on some analytic semi-group generated by \(-L_{bc}\). The paper contains no proof and is difficult to read.