Reconstruction of the potential of the Sturm-Liouville equation from three spectra of boundary value problems (Q1974251)

The author considers the following Sturm-Liouville-like problem: \[ y''+ (\lambda^2- q-i\lambda p)y= 0\quad\text{on }(0,a),\quad y(0)= y(a)= 0. \] Here, \(\lambda\) is the spectral parameter, \(q\in L^2((0,a), \mathbb{R})\) such that the operator \(A\) defined by \(Ay= -y''+ qy\) on \(\{y\in W^{2,2}((0, a),\mathbb{R})\); \(y(0)= y(a)= 0\}\) is strictly positive, and \(p\) is a positive constant \(c\) on \((0,b)\) and \(0\) on \((b,a)\) for some \(b\in (0,a)\). Two associated problems are introduced: one consists of the above differential equation restricted to \((0,b)\) and the boundary condition \(y(0)= y(b)= 0\), while the other of the equation \(y''+ (\lambda^2- q)y= 0\) on \((b,a)\) and the condition \(y(b)= y(a)= 0\). The author gives a procedure for reconstructing, from the spectra of these three problems, the constants \(a\), \(b\), \(c\) and the function \(q\) and hence proves the following result: the constants \(a\), \(b\), \(c\) and the function \(q\) in the original problem are uniquely determined by the corresponding three spectra.