Global existence of solutions with prescribed asymptotic behavior for second-order nonlinear differential equations (Q697538)

The differential equation under consideration is \(u''+ f(t,u,u')= 0\). A typical result is the following. If there exist continuous positive nondecreasing functions \(h\), \(p_1,p_2: \mathbb{R}_+\to \mathbb{R}_+\) such that \[ |f(t,u,v)|\leq h(t)\Biggl[p_1\Biggl({|u|\over t}\Biggr)+ p_2(|v|)\Biggr], \] where \(h(s)\) satisfies \(\int^\infty_{h_0} h(s) ds= H< \infty\). Assume also that \(G(+\infty)= +\infty\), where, for \(x\geq t_0\), \[ G(x)= \int^x_{t_0} {dx\over p_1(s)+ p_2(s)}. \] Then, for every \(u_0,u_1\in \mathbb{R}\), the initial value problem \[ u''+ f(t,u,u')= 0,\quad t\geq t_0,\quad u(t_0)= u_0,\quad u'(t_0)= u_1, \] has at least one solution \(u(t)\) defined on \([t_0,+\infty)\) with the asymptotic representation \(u(t)= at+ o(t)\) as \(t\to+\infty\), where \(a\) is a real constant. Further results with variations of these conditions are investigated in some detail.