No label defined (Q4952122)

The author considers the asymptotic behavior of nonoscillatory solutions to the following second-order difference equation \[ \Delta(r_n\Delta x_n)+(p_n+ a_n)x_{n+1}=0, \quad n\in Z:=\{0,1,2, \dots\}, \tag{1} \] where \(r_n>0\), \(a_n,p_n\) \((n\in Z)\) are sequences of real numbers and \(\Delta x_n:=x_{n+1}-x_n\). Assume that the unperturbed equation \[ \Delta (r_n\Delta y_n)+ p_ny_{n+1}=0,\;n\in Z\tag{2} \] is nonoscillatory, then by \textit{W. T. Patula} [SIAM J. Math. Anal. 10, 55-61 (1979; Zbl 0397.39001)], equation (2) has a positive principal solution \(\{y_n\}\) and the corresponding associate solution \(\{y_n^*\}\) can be given in the form \(y_n^* =y_n(g_n-g_N)\) \((n\geq N)\) for some natural number \(N\), herein \[ g_0=0,\;g_1=(r_0 y_0y_1)^{-1},\;g_n=\sum^{n-1}_{k=0}(r_ky_ky_{k+1})^{-1},\;n\geq 2. \] Using Riccati type transformations, the author obtains some sufficient or necessary conditions for the existence of a principle solution \(\{x_n\}\) and an associate solution \(\{x^*_n\}\) of equation 1 such that \[ x_n=y_n\bigl( 1+o(1)\bigr) \quad \text{and} \quad x_n^*\sim y^*_n\quad \text{hold as }n\to\infty. \] The theorems obtained can be viewed as discrete analogues of some main results by \textit{S. Z. Chen} [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 327, No. 2, 853-865 (1991; Zbl 0755.34048)] established for differential equations. Some similar results for the special case of (1) when \(r_n\equiv 1\), \(p_n\equiv 0\) can be found in another paper of \textit{S. Z. Chen} [Acta Math. Sin. 35, No. 3, 396-406 (1992; Zbl 0762.39001)].