Instability intervals of Hill's equation with piecewise constant and alternating coefficient (Q1433112)

This paper deals with asymptotic estimates of the instability intervals of the Hill equation \[ -y^{\prime\prime}(x)=\lambda\rho(x)y(x)\leqno{(*)} \] on \({\mathbb R}\), where \(\lambda\) is a complex parameter and \(\rho\) is a periodic function with period \(\omega\) such that \[ \rho(x)=\begin{cases}1&\text{if}\quad 0<x\leq a,\\-1&\text{if}\quad a<x\leq\omega.\end{cases} \] Denoting by \(\mu_{2k}^{\pm}\) (\(k\in{\mathbb Z}\)) and \(\mu_{2k+1}^{\pm}\) (\(k\in{\mathbb Z}\)), respectively, the eigenvalues of \((*)\) with periodic boundary conditions and antiperiodic boundary conditions, respectively. Then we have \[ \cdots<\mu^{-}_{-2}\leq\mu^{+}_{-2}<\mu^{-}_{-1}\leq\mu^{+}_{-1}<\mu^{-}_{0}\leq \mu^{+}_{0}<\mu^{-}_{1}\leq\mu^{+}_{1}<\mu^{-}_{2}\leq\mu^{+}_{2}<\cdots. \] The authors prove that there exists a positive integer \(m_{0}\) such that \[ \begin{gathered}\mu^{\pm}_{n}=\left(\frac{n\pi\pm 2r_{n}^{\pm}}{a}\right)^{2}\quad\text{for}\quad n\geq m_{0}+1,\\ \mu^{\pm}_{n}=-\left(\frac{n\pi\pm 2r_{n}^{\pm}}{\omega-a}\right)^{2}\quad\text{for}\quad n\leq -(m_{0}+1),\end{gathered} \] where \[ 0\leq r_{n}^{\pm}<\pi/2\quad(|n|\geq m_{0}+1). \] Moreover, the authors show that the length of the instability interval \((\mu_{n}^{-},\mu_{n}^{+})\) tends to infinity as \(n\to\pm\infty\).