Positive solutions of BVPs for third-order discrete nonlinear difference systems (Q2430500)

The author studies the discrete system \[ \Delta^3 u_i(k)+ f_i(k, u_1(k),\dots, u_n(k))= 0,\quad 1\leq i\leq n,\quad k\in [0,T],\tag{1} \] where \(T> 1\) is a positive integer, with the Dirichlet boundary condition \[ u_i(0)= u_i(1)= u_i(T+ 3)= 0,\quad 1\leq i\leq n,\tag{2} \] and \[ \Delta u(k)= u(k+1)- u(k),\quad \Delta^3 u(k)=\Delta(\Delta(\Delta u(k))), \] \([a,b]= \{a,a+1,\dots, b\}\subset\mathbb{Z}\), \(f_i: [0,T]\times \mathbb{R}^n\to\mathbb{R}\) and \(u_i: [0,T]\to \mathbb{R}\) for \(1\leq i\leq n\) and \(u= (u_1,\dots, u_n)\). A solution \(u\) of the problem (1), (2) is called positive solution if \(u\) is nonnegative and nontrivial. The author establishes some results for the existence, multiplicity and nonexistence of positive solutions. He proves that if \(f_i\) are continuous functions, there exists \(M> 0\) such that \(\| u\|\neq M\) for any solution \(u\in B\), \(B\) is a Banach space, of boundary value problem \[ \Delta^3 u_i(k)+\lambda f_i(k, u_1(k),\dots, u_n(k))= 0,\qquad 1\leq i\leq n,\quad k\in [0,T],\quad 0<\lambda< 1, \] \[ u_i(0)= u_i(1)= u_i(T+ 3)= 0,\qquad 1\leq i\leq n, \] \(M\) being independent of \(\lambda\), then the problem (1), (2) has at least one solution \(u= (u_1,\dots, u_n)\in B\) such that \(\| u\|\leq M\). The author studies the existence of two or three positive solutions of the problem (1), (2) and also the multiplicity and nonexistence of positive solutions.