Unbounded solutions for singular boundary value problems on the semi-infinite interval: upper and lower solutions and multiplicity (Q2433759)

The authors show the existence of unbounded solutions to the singular boundary value problem \[ y'' + \Phi(t) f(t, y, y') = 0, \, t \in (0, +\infty), \] \[ a y(0) - b y'(0) = y_0 \geq 0, \lim_{t \to \infty} y'(t) = k > 0 \] using two different techniques. In section 3, the authors use the upper and lower solution technique to establish necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a positive solution to the boundary value problem. Under the additional assumption that \(f\) is nondecreasing in the second and third variables, the authors show that the boundary value problem has a unique solution. In section 4, the authors use index theory to show the existence of at least one and at least two positive solutions to the boundary value problem.