Properties of the period function for some Hamiltonian systems and homogeneous solutions of a semilinear elliptic equation (Q2484531)

The authors study the period function \(T_n(c)\) of the Hamiltonian system \[ \dot{x}=-H_y,\;\dot{y}=H_x, \] with a Hamiltonian given by \(H=\frac{1}{n}| y| ^n+F(x)=c\), \(n>1\). Taking the expression \[ T_n(c)=\frac{2}{n^{(n-1)/n}}\int_0^1\frac{K_n(ct)dt}{t^{1/n}(1-t)^{(n-1)/n}} \] with \(K_n\) an appropriate auxiliary function depending explicitly on \(F\), the authors conclude that the respective derivatives of \(T_n\) and \(K_n\) have the same sign. In particular, \(T_n\) is increasing (or convex) if such is \(K_n\). In the Newtonian case \(n=2\), the results are applied to prove the convexity of \(T_2\) when \(F=x^2-x^4\), \(F=x^2-x^3\), and to obtain the criterion: \(T_2\) is increasing provided that \(F^{(iv)}\leq 0\). Another application is done to estimate for \(1<\gamma<2\) the number of solutions of \(\Delta u=\gamma u^{\gamma-1}\) in \({\mathbb R}^2\) having in polar coordinates the form \(u(r,\theta)=r^\beta\varphi(\theta)\).