Optimal lower bound for the first eigenvalue of the fourth order equation (Q2630901)

For the eigenvalue problem of the 4-th order beam equation \[ y^{(4)}(t) + q(t) y(t) = \lambda y(t)t \in [0, 1], \] \[ q \in {\mathcal L}^1 := {\mathcal L}^1([0, 1], \mathbb{R})\text{, with the Lidstone boundary condition} \] \[ y(0) = y^{\prime \prime}(0) = 0 = y(1) = y^{\prime \prime}(1) \] the authors are interested in obtaining the (optimal) lower bound of the first eigenvalue \(\lambda_1 (q)\) in terms of \(\| q \|_1 := \| q \|_{{\mathcal L}^1}\). By the same token, they solve the minimization problem: \(L(r) = \inf \{\lambda_1(q) | q \in B_1[r] \}\), where \(B_1[r] = \{ q \in {\mathcal L}^1: \| q \|_1 \leq r \}, r \in [0, \infty)\). Since \(B_1[r]\) is not compact even in the weak topology of \({\mathcal L}^1\), the minimizing problem is extended to the 4-th order measure differential equation (MDE) \[ dy^{(3)} (t) + y(t) d \mu (t) = \lambda y(t) dt,\;t \in [0, 1] \] with the corresponding Lidstone boundary condition. Definitions are given for the solutions and the eigenvalues of the MDE, also the well-posedness of the solution and the variational minimization characterization as well as the continuity property (with respect to a \(weak^*\) topology of measure) of \(\lambda_1\) are proved. Based on the relationship between a minimization problem of an ODE and of an MDE, the following is obtained: \(\lambda_1(q) \geq L(\| q \|_1) \forall q \in {\mathcal L}^1\) which is optimal (in measure).