Nonstandard Lagrangian singularities and asymptotic eigenfunctions of the degenerating operator \(- \frac{d}{dx}D (x)\frac{d}{dx}\) (Q2302976)

The authors consider the spectral problem for the ordinary differential operator \[L=-\frac{d}{dx}D\left( x\right) \frac{d}{dx}\] on an interval \(\left[ a,b\right]\); the function \(D\left( x\right)\) is smooth on this interval, positive on \(\left( a,b\right),\) and has simple zeros at the points \(a\) and \(b.\) They investigate the asymptotic eigenfunctions of the operator \(L\) that degenerates at the points \(a\) and \(b\) in terms of the modified Maslov canonical operator.