Disconjugacy and multipoint boundary value problems for linear differential equations of neutral type (Q1916847)

The paper deals with the \(n\)-th order linear homogeneous differential equation with delays of neutral type \[ x^{(n)} (t) + a(t) x^{(n)} \bigl( t - \Delta_0 (t) \bigr) + \sum^n_{i = 1} \sum^m_{j = 1} h_{ij} (t) x^{(n - i)} \bigl( t - \Delta_{ij} (t) \bigr) = 0, \tag{1} \] \(n \geq 1\), with continuous coefficients \(a(t)\), \(b_{ij} (t)\) \((i = 1, \dots, n;\;j = 1, \dots, m)\) and delays \(\Delta_0 (t) > 0\), \(\Delta_{ij} (t) \geq 0\) on the interval \(T_0 \leq t < T \leq + \infty\). The author gives a definition of disconjugacy and of strict disconjugacy for (1) which is a generalization of the corresponding notion from the theory of ordinary differential equations. Using the connection between the solvability (with uniqueness) of the multipoint boundary value problems of the Vallée Poussin type and the disconjugacy, he presents several theorems containing necessary and sufficient conditions for disconjugacy and strict disconjugacy of (1).