A counterexample to a conjecture in second-order linear equations (Q2545945)

The author proves the following: Theorem. For each \(\beta>0\), there exists a positive function \(a(t)\) in \(C^\infty[0,\infty)\) such that \(a(t)\to\infty\), \(a'(t)\ge 0\), \(a'(t)=O(\log^{-\beta}t)\), and such that at least one solution \(u(t)\) of the equation \[ u^n+ a(t)u= 0 \tag{1} \] satisfies the condition that \(\limsup_{t\to\infty} \vert u(t)\vert >0\). This result provides a counterexample to the conjecture by \textit{A. Meir}, \textit{A. Willett}, and \textit{J. S. W. Wong} [Mich. Math. J. 14, 47--52 (1967; Zbl 0158.09202)] that if there exists a positive function \(p(t)\) in \(C'[0,\infty)\) such that \[ \int_0^\infty dt/p(t) = \infty,\quad \liminf_{t\to\infty} \frac{p'(t)}{p(t)\sqrt{a(t)}} \ge 0,\quad \text{and}\quad a'(t)p(t)/a(t) =0, \] then all solutions of (1) tend to zero as \(t\to\infty\).