Nonnegative solution for singular nonlinear fractional differential equation with coefficient that changes sign (Q1007074)

The author studies the existence of nonnegative solutions for the problem \[ D^s u(t)= \lambda a(t) f(u,D^{\alpha}u); \quad 0 < t \leq 1,\;0 < \alpha < s < 1, \quad u(0) = 0,\tag{\(*\)} \] where \(f:[0,+\infty)\times (-\infty,+\infty)\to [0,+\infty)\), \(a:(0,1]\to \mathbb R\), \(t^r a(t):[0,1]\to \mathbb R\), \(0\leq r<s-\alpha\), \(\lambda> 0\) is a parameter and \( D^\alpha\) is the classical Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative. In order to obtain his result, the author studies the existence of nonnegative solutions \(\bar u_{\lambda}\) for the problem \(D^s u(t) = \lambda a^+(t) f(u, D^\alpha u)\); \(0<t\leq1\), \(0<\alpha<s < 1\), \(u(0) = 0\), and solutions of the problem \(D^s v(t)= \lambda a^+(t) [f(\bar u_\lambda + v\), \(D^\alpha (\bar u_\lambda+v)- f(\bar u_\lambda, D^\alpha (\bar u_\lambda)]- \lambda a^-(t) [f(\bar u_\lambda+ v, D^\alpha(\bar u_\lambda+v)]\); \(0 < t \leq 1\), \(0<\alpha<s<1\), \(v(0)=0\). The function \(\bar u_\lambda+v\) is a solution of problem \((*)\). Let \(C^\alpha[0,1]\) be the space of functions that are continuous and have continuous \(\alpha\)-derivative and \(K\) be the space of functions \(u\in C^\alpha[0,1]\) such that \(u(t)\geq 0\), \(\forall t \in[0,1]\). The main result proved is the following: If {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize}\item[i)] \(f:[0,+\infty)\times (-\infty,+\infty) \to [0,+\infty)\) is continuous and \( f(0,0) > 0,\) \item[ii)] \(a:(0,1]\to\mathbb R\), \(t^r a(t):[0,1]\to\mathbb R\) are continuous \((0\leq r<s-\alpha)\), \item[iii)] \(\exists c>0: \int_0^t (t-\tau)^{s-1} a^-(\tau) \,d\tau \leq c \int_0^t( t - \tau)^{s-1} a^+(\tau) \,d\tau\), \(\forall t\in [0,1]\), \end{itemize}} then \(\exists \lambda^*>0\) such that (*) has at least one non negative solution \(u\in K\), \(\forall \lambda \in(0,\lambda^*)\).