An oscillatory bifurcation from infinity, and from zero (Q2519361)

Consider the nonlinear boundary value problem \[ u^{\prime \prime }+\lambda a(x)(u+g(u))=0,\text{ for }-1\leq x\leq 1,\quad u(-1)=u(1)=0. \] Here, instead of the usual condition \(\lim_{u\to \infty }\frac{g(u)}{u}=0,\) the nonlinear term \(g\) is oscillatory for large \(u,\) as in the typical example \[ u^{\prime \prime }+\lambda \left( u+\tfrac{1}{2}u\sin (u)\right) =0.\tag{*} \] The author shows the existence of a curve \(u(\lambda)\) of positive solutions for equation (\(*\)), bifurcating from \(u=0\) at \(\lambda =\lambda_1\), which is the principal eigenvalue. The curve is also shown to oscillate infinitely about the line \(\lambda =\lambda_1\) and \(u(\lambda)\to\infty\) as \(\lambda \to \lambda_1\). The proof is based on a Riemann-Lebesgue type lemma and the result is then extended to cover radial solutions of the Dirichlet problem \(\Delta u+\) \(\lambda(u+ug(u))=0\) on the unit ball.