Spectral properties and nodal solutions for second-order, \(m\)-point boundary value problems (Q2382618)

The author studies the \(m\)-point boundary value problem consisting of the equation \[ -u''=f(u) \quad \text{on} \quad (0,1),\tag{1} \] where \(f:\mathbb R\rightarrow\mathbb R\) is \(C^1\), with \(f(0)=0\), together with the boundary conditions \[ u(0)=0, \;\;u(t)=\sum_{i=1}^{m-2}\alpha_iu(\eta_i),\tag{2} \] where \(m\geq 3, \eta_i\in(0,1)\) and \(\alpha_i>0\) for \(i=1,\cdots,m-2\), with \[ A:=\sum_{i=1}^{m-2}\alpha_i<1.\tag{3} \] The author first shows that the spectral properties of the linearisation of this problem are similar to the well-known properties of the standard Sturm--Liouville problem with separated boundary conditions (with a minor modification to deal with the multi-point boundary condition). These spectral properties are then used to prove a Rabinowitz-type global bifurcation theorem for a bifurcation problem related to the above problem. Finally, using the global bifurcation theorem, the author obtains nodal solutions (that is, sign-changing solutions with a specified number of zeros) of the above problem, under various conditions on the asymptotic behaviour of \(f\).