Monotone method for singular Neumann problem (Q1599974)

The existence of the extremal solutions to the BVP \[ (1/A)(Au')'+ f(\cdot, u)= 0\quad\text{on }(0,\omega),\quad \lim_{t\to 0} A(t) u'(t)= a,\quad \lim_{t\to\omega} A(t) u'(t)= b, \] is proved; here, \(\omega\in (0,\infty)\), \(A(t)\in C[0,\omega]\) is positive on \((0,\omega)\), \((a,b)\in \mathbb{R}^2\) and \(f\in C([0,\omega]\times \mathbb{R})\). The approach used relies on a preliminary study of appropriate eigenvalue problems and the monotone method. In the main result, the author assumes that the problem considered has a lower solution \(\alpha\) and an upper solution \(\beta\) such that \(\alpha\leq \beta\) and the map \(x\to \lambda q x+ f(\cdot, x)\) is nonincreasing on \([\alpha,\beta]\) for some \(\lambda\), where \(q\in C(0,\omega)\) is a suitable function, and \(\lambda\) is a \(q\)-eigenvalue of the operator \(Lu= (1/A)(Au')'\), i.e. \(\lambda\) is such that the problem \[ (1/A)(Au')'= \lambda qu\quad\text{on }(0,\omega),\quad Au'(0)= 0,\quad u(\omega)= 0, \] has a nontrivial solution in \(C[0,\omega]\cap C^1(0,\omega)\).