No label defined (Q4376402)

The multiplicity of the solutions \(u(x,t)\) for piecewise linear perturbations \(-(bu^+-au^-)\) for the following one-dimensional wave equation under Dirichlet boundary condition on the interval \((-\pi/2,\pi/2)\) and periodic conditions in the variable \(t\) is considered: \[ u_{tt}-u_{xx}+bu^+-au^-=f(x,t),\quad (x,t)\in (-{\pi\over 2},{\pi\over 2})\times \mathbb{R},\tag{1} \] \[ u(\pm{\pi\over 2},t)=0,\tag{2} \] \[ u(x,t)\;\pi\text{-periodic in \(t\) and even in \(x\) and }t.\tag{3} \] Such an equation describes the vibrations up and down of a string with nonuniform density and different upward and downward restoring coefficients. The eigenvalue problem for the wave operator \(u_{tt}-u_{xx}=\lambda u\) subject to the initial and boundary conditions (2) and (3) has infinitely many eigenvalues \(\lambda_{mn}=(2n+1)^2-4m^2\) \((m,n=0,1,2,\dots)\) and corresponding normalized eigenfunctions \(\phi_{mn}\) given by \[ \phi_{0n}={\sqrt{2}\over\pi}\cos(2n+1)x\quad (n\geq 0),\qquad \phi_{mn}={2\over\pi}\cos(2mt)\cos(2n+1)x\quad (m>0,\;n\geq 0). \] In particular all eigenvalues in the interval \((-9,9)\) are given by \( \lambda_{21}=-7<\lambda_{10}=-3< \lambda_{00}=1<\lambda_{11}=5\). The multiplicity of the solutions is investigated when the nonlinearity \(-(bu^+-au^-)\) crosses finite eigenvalues and the source term \(f\) is generated by the two eigenfunctions \(\phi_{00}\) and \(\phi_{10}\). Section 1 deals with the case \(-5<a<-1,\) \(3<b<7\), that is when \(-(bu^+-au^-)\) crosses two eigenvalues \(\lambda_{00}\) and \(\lambda_{10}\), while Section 2 investigates the multiplicity phenomena in the case \(-1<a<3,\) \(3<b<7\), that is when \(-(bu^+-au^-)\) crosses one eigenvalue \(\lambda_{00}\). For the entire collection see [Zbl 0880.00041].