Multiple positive solutions via index theory for singular boundary value problems with derivative dependence (Q2464738)

The paper is concerned with the boundary value problem \((P)\) consisting of the singular equation \[ x''+\Phi(t)f(t,x,x')=0,\quad 0<t<1 \] subject to the boundary conditions \[ x(0)=0,\quad x'(1)=0 \] where \(f\in C([0,1]\times(0,+\infty)\times(0,+\infty),[0,+\infty))\) and \(\Phi\in C(0,1),\;\Phi(t)>0\) on \((0,1).\) Solutions of the problem (P) are fixed points of the operator \[ \forall\,t\in[0,1],\; (Ax)(t)=\int_0^1G(t,s)\Phi(s)f(s,x(s),| x'(s)|)ds \] in the cone \[ P=\{x\in C^1[0,1]:\; x(t)\geq t\| x\|_1\;\forall\,t\in[0,1]\,\text{ and }\,x(1)\geq\| x\|_2\} \] of the Banach space \( C^1[0,1]=\{x:\;[0,1]\rightarrow\mathbb{R}\}\) such that \(x\) is continuous on \([0,1]\) and continuously differentiable on \((0,1]\) with \(\sup\limits_{t\in(0,1]} t| x'(t)|<+\infty.\) This space is equipped with the norm \[ \| x\|=\max\{\| x\|_1,\| x\|_2\} \] where \[ \| x\|_1=\max\limits_{t\in[0,1]}| x(t)|,\; \| x\|_2=\max\limits_{t\in(0,1]}t| x'(t)|. \] Finally \(G\) is the Green function corresponding to problem \((P)\). The authors consider successively four cases: 1) \(f\) has no singularity 2) \(f\) is singular at \(x'=0\) but not at \(x=0\) 3) \(f\) is singular at \(x=x'=0\) 4) \(f\) is singular at \(x=0\) but not at \(x'=0\). In each case, existence of two nonnegative solutions is proved under some growth conditions on the nonlinearity \(f.\) In the last three cases, \(A\) is approximated by a suitable operator \((A_n)_{n\in\mathbb{N}}\). Using the fixed point index theory on cones, the authors prove that \(A_n\) has two fixed points. The Arzela-Ascoli Lemma both with the Lebesgue Dominated Convergence Theorem then guarantee that the limit operator \(A\) has two nonnegative fixed points. Each existence theorem is illustrated by means of an example where the nonlinearity exhibits both superlinear and sublinear terms. The obtained results are interesting and extend recent ones existing in the literature, in particular some of the results obtained by the second and the third other.