Existence of solutions for \(n^{\text{th}}\)-order nonlinear differential boundary value problems by means of fixed point theorems (Q1640816)

In this paper, the authors provide existence and multiplicity results for a one-parameter family of $n$-th order boundary value problems associated to \[(-1)^{n-k}T_n[M] u(t)=f(t,u(t)),\] where \[ T_n[M] u(t)= u^{(n)}(t)+ p_1(t) u^{(n-1)}(t)+ \dots+(p_n(t)+M)u(t), \ t \in [a,b]. \] The so-called $(k, n-k)$ boundary conditions \[\begin{gathered} u(a)=u'(a)= \dots =u^{(k-1)}(a) =0,\\ u(b)=u'(b)= \dots =u^{(n-k-1)}(b) =0, \end{gathered}\] $k \in \{1, \dots, n-1\}$ are considered. The given BVP is treated by means of various fixed point theorems which follow/are related to Krasnosel'skii's fixed point theorem in cones. More precisely, conditions are imposed on the kernel $G$ of the integral operator $L: u \mapsto\int_a^b G(t,s) f(s,u(s)) \ ds$ which ensure the existence of one or multiple fixed points of $L$. In the applications, the validity of these conditions is treated by means of the notion of disconjugacy of the homogeneous equation \[(-1)^{n-k}T_n[M] u(t)=0.\] One of the several results obtained reads as follows. Let $I = [0, 1]$ and $I_1 = [1/4,3/4]$ and suppose that there exist positive numbers $p,q,r$ such that $0 < p < q < r$, and assume that the function $f$ satisfies the following conditions: \begin{itemize} \item[(1)] $f(t,u) \geq \dfrac{384}{11}u$ for $t \in I_1$ and $u \in [r, 4r]$, being the inequality strict at $u=r$, \item[(2)] $f(t,u) \leq 6 q$ for $t \in I$ and $u \in [0, 4q]$, being the inequality strict at $u=q$, \item[(3)] $f(t,u) > \dfrac{3072}{67}u$ for $t \in I_1$ and $u \in [p/4, p]$. \end{itemize} Then, for $B=0$, the problem \[u''(t)+Bu'(t)+f(t,u(t))=0, \ u(0)=0=u(1)\] has at least two positive solutions $u_1,u_2$ s.t. $p< \|u_1\|_{\infty}, \max_{t \in I_1}u_1(t) < q$ and $q <\max_{t \in I_1}u_2(t), \ \min_{t \in I_1}u_2(t) < r$.