Structure of a class of singular boundary value problem with superlinear effect. (Q1406517)

The boundary value problem \(x''(t)+ \lambda f(t, x(t))= 0\), \(t\in (0,1)\), \(x(0)= x(1)= 0\), is studied, where \(f\in C[(0,1)\times (0,+\infty),\mathbb{R}^+]\) may be singular at \(t= 0\), \(t= 1\) and \(x= 0\), and \(\lambda\in \mathbb{R}^+= [0,+\infty)\) is a parameter. Using topological methods and a generalization of the Birkhoff-Kellogg theorem, the authors prove that the closure of the positive solution set of the considered boundary value problem (BVP) possesses a maximal and unbounded subcontinuum (i.e., a maximal closed connected subset of solutions), which comes from \((0,\theta)\) and tends to \((0,\infty)\) eventually, where \(\theta\) is the zero element of \(C[[0,1], \mathbb{R}]\). As a corollary, it is obtained that there exists \(\lambda_0> 0\) such that for \(\lambda= \lambda_0\) the BVP has at least one positive solution, and for \(\lambda\in (0,\lambda_0)\) it has at least two positive solutions \(U^1_\lambda\) and \(U^2_\lambda\) such that \(\lim_{\lambda\to 0^+} U^1_\lambda= \theta\) and \(\lim_{\lambda\to 0^+} U^2_\lambda= +\infty\).