A homotopy index continuation method and periodic solutions of second- order gradient systems (Q1820293)

The extended homotopy index is used to study the variational equation \(Lx=N(x)\) where L is linear and noninvertible. An abstract principle is formulated, which is analogous to Mawhin's continuation principle [\textit{J. Mawhin}, ibid. 12, 610-636 (1972; Zbl 0244.47049)] for the coincidence degree, but which used the homotopy index instead of the degree. Using this principle two existence theorems are proved for T-periodic solutions of second-order gradient systems with mean values lying in a prescribed set \(B\subset R^ m\).