On periodic solutions of sublinear Duffing equations (Q803361)

The authors are concerned with the scalar Duffing equation \(x''+g(x)=p(t),\) where g: \({\mathbb{R}}\to {\mathbb{R}}\) is continuous and p: \({\mathbb{R}}\to {\mathbb{R}}\) is continuous and \(2\pi\)-periodic. They prove that the equation has at least one \(2\pi\)-periodic solution if the following assumptions are satisfied: (i) there exist two constants E, \(d>0\), such that \(g(x) sgn(x)\geq E>\sup \{| p(t)| :\;t\in {\mathbb{R}}\}\) for \(| x| \geq d\); \((ii)\quad \liminf_{x\to +\infty}g(x)/x=0;\) (iii) g is continuously differentiable on \([d,+\infty]\) and there is a constant \(M>0\) such that \(xg'(x)/g(x)\leq M\) for \(x>d\). The result is achieved by a continuation lemma based on coincidence degree. An example is presented which shows that this result is not contained in the results of the (about 30) articles quoted in the bibliography.