Existence and nonexistence of nontrivial solutions of semilinear fourth- and sixth-order differential equations (Q2501197)

The paper gives conditions for the existence of non-trivial solutions to the fourth-order boundary value problem \[ \begin{gathered} u^{(4)}-pu''-a(x)u+b(x)u^3 =0, \quad 0 < x < L,\\ u(0) = u(L) = u''(0) = u''(L) =0 \end{gathered} \] as well as to the sixth-order one \[ \begin{gathered} u^{(6)} + A u^{(4)} + Bu'' + Cu -b(x)u^3= 0, \quad 0 < x < L,\\ u(0) = u(L) = u''(0) = u''(L) = u^{(4)}(0) = u^{(4)}(L)=0\end{gathered} \] in which \(A\), \(B\), \(C \) are constants, \(C>0\) and \(a(x)\) and \(b(x)\) are even, continuous, positive, \(2L\)-periodic functions. The proof of the results uses the variational method introduced by \textit{D.~C. Clark} [``A variant of the Lusternik-Schnirelman theory'', Indiana Univ. Math. J. 22, 65--74 (1972; Zbl 0228.58006)].