Periodic solutions for extended Fisher-Kolmogorov and Swift-Hohenberg equations obtained using a continuation theorem (Q2637664)

This paper is concerned with fourth-order scalar ordinary differential equations of the type \[ u^{\text{iv}} + qu'' + \alpha(x)u = f(x,u,u',u''), \] where \(q\) is a constant (the case \(q >0\) corresponding to the Swift-Hohenberg equation, the case \(q \leq 0\) corresponding to an extended Fisher-Kolmogorov equation) and \(\alpha, f\) are continuous functions. More precisely, the authors use Mawhin's coincidence degree theory to prove that, under suitable simple assumptions on the nonlinear term \(f\), the equation has a periodic solution. It is worth mentioning that this result covers situations in which the problem does not admit a variational formulation.