Behavior of solutions of certain second-order differential equations at infinity (Q1265086)

This article mostly concerns the asymptotic behavior at \(\infty\) of nontrivial solutions to oscillatory linear DEs of type (1) \(-u''= fu\) in an interval \(I= [t_0,\infty)\), with \(f\in C^2(I)\) and \(f(t)> 0\) in \(I\). In particular, sufficient conditions on \(f\) are given for solutions \(u(t)\) to (1) to satisfy \(u= O(f^{-1/4})\) at \(\infty\). This is a much weaker conclusion than the usual WKB approximation, or a classic theorem of Wintner, demonstrating the oscillatory nature of the solutions. If \(f(t)\) is increasing, \(f(\infty)= \infty\), and \(t_j\) is defined by \(f(t_j)= j^2\), \(j= 1,2,\dots\), a bound is obtained for the number of zeros of a solution \(u\) to (1) in \((t_j, t_{j+1})\). Applications are indicated.