Common zeros of the solutions of two differential equations (Q428938)

In the paper under review the author considers two homogeneous linear differential equations and determines when their solutions can have the same, or nearly the same, zeros. An example of the results obtained is as follows. Let \(P\not\equiv 0\) be a polynomial of degree \(n\), and let \(w\not\equiv 0\) be a solution of \[ w'' + Pw =0 \] having infinitely many zeros. Let \(v\not\equiv0\) be an entire solution of \[ v'' +A v=0, \] where \(A\) is an entire function. Let \(N(r)\) be the counting function of zeros of \(v\) which are not zeros of \(w\), and of zeros of \(w\) which are not zeros of \(v\). If \[ N(r) + T(r,A)= o\left(r^{(n+2)/2}\right), \qquad r\to\infty, \] then \(v/w\) is a constant and \(A=P\). This result follows as a corollary from another theorem proved in the paper under review on the general \(k\)th order case. Several examples are given to demonstrate the sharpness of the results obtained.