Periodic solutions of nonlinear second order differential equations (Q2526057)

Let \(f(x,x',t)\) be a continuous function in an appropriate domain of \(\mathbb{R}^2\times [a,b]\). (i) Assume there exist \(\alpha,\beta \in C^2[a,b]\) satisfying \(\alpha'' \ge f(\alpha,\alpha',t)\), \(\alpha(a)=\alpha(b)\), \(\alpha'(a) \ge \alpha'(b)\), \(\beta'' \le f(\beta,\beta',t)\), \(\beta(a)=\beta(b)\), \(\beta'(a) \le \beta'(b)\) and \(\alpha(t)\le \beta(t)\) for all \(t\in [a,b]\). Let \(A=\{f(x,t): \alpha(t)\le x\le \beta(t)\), \(a\le t\le b]\); (ii) Assume there exist \(\varphi(x,t)\), \(\psi(x,t)\) defined on \(A\) such that \(\varphi_x\), \(\psi_x\) exist and are bounded on \(A\), \(\varphi(x,a)=\varphi(x, b)\), \(\psi(x,a)=\psi(x, b)\), \(\varphi(x, t)\le \psi(x, t)\) for all \((t,x)\in A\), \(\varphi(\alpha,t)\le \alpha' \le \psi(\alpha,t)\), \(\varphi(\beta,t)\le \beta' \le \psi(\beta,t)\), and the functions \(\varphi_x\varphi+\varphi_t-f(x,\varphi,t)\) and \(psi_x\psi+\psi_t-f(x,\psi,t)\) have constant signs on \(A\). Under these conditions, the author proves that \[ x''=f(x,x',t),\quad x(a)=x(b),\ x'(a)=x'(b)\] has a solution \(x(t)\in C^2[a,b]\) such that \(\alpha(t)\le x(t)\le \beta(t)\), \(\varphi(x(t),t)\le x'(t)\le \psi(x(t),t)\) for all \(t\in [a,b]\). This result generalizes a result of \textit{H.-W. Knobloch} [ibid. 82, 177--197 (1963; Zbl 0117.05404)] in that \(f\) is not assumed to satisfy a Lipschitz condition in \(x\) and \(x'\). In addition the author shows that the above statement with (ii) replaced by a Nagumo condition with respect to the pair \(\alpha,\beta\) is true. The function \(f\) satisfies a Nagumo condition with respect to \(\alpha,\beta\), if there exists a positive continuous function \(h\) such that \(\vert f(x,x', t)\vert \le h(\vert x'\vert)\) for \(\alpha(t)\le x\le \beta(t)\), \(a\le t\le b\), and \(\vert x'\vert < \infty\), where \[\int_1^\infty h^{-1}(s)\,ds > \max \beta(t) - \min \alpha(t)\text{ with }(b-a) \lambda = \max [ \vert \alpha(b)-\beta(a)\vert, \vert \beta(b)- \alpha(a)\vert ]. \] Some other corollaries involving specific conditions on \(f\) and including an application to a Lienard equation are given.