Periodic solutions of asymptotically positively homogeneous differential equations (Q583451)

The first studies of periodic solutions for a differential equation \((1)\quad \ddot x+c\dot x+g(x)=e(t),\) where g is asymptotically linear in some sense, are due to \textit{W. S. Loud} [Proc. US Japan Semin. Diff. Funct. Equat. Minneapolis, Minnesota 1967, 199-224 (1967; Zbl 0162.123)] and \textit{A. C. Lazer} [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 21, 421-425 (1968; Zbl 0155.140)]. Their studies mark the starting point of a vast literature on the Liénard equation \[ (2)\quad \ddot x+f(x)\dot x+g(t,x)=e(t), \] and its special case, the Duffing equation \[ (3)\quad \ddot x+c\dot x+g(t,x)=e(t). \] The asymptotic behavior of the nonlinearity g was usually controlled through inequalities such as \[ (4)\quad a(t)\leq \liminf_{| x| \to \infty}\frac{g(t,x)}{x}\leq \limsup_{| x| \to \infty}\frac{g(t,x)}{x}\leq b(t), \] which tend to keep away the quotient g(t,x)/x from the spectrum of the linear operator \(Lx=-\ddot x\) as \(| x| \to \infty\). Similar studies have been carried out for systems, for Rayleigh equation and for third order equations. A very important step forward was the major generalization considered by \textit{E. N. Dancer} [(i) Bull. Aust. Math. Soc. 15, 321-328 (1976; Zbl 0342.34007)] and \textit{S. Fučik} [(ii) Časopis Pěst. Mat. 101, 69-87 (1976; Zbl 0332.34016)]. In (i) and (ii) the existence of periodic solutions for the equation \((5)\quad \ddot x+g(x)=e(t)\) is investigated when the function g is asymptotically positively homogeneous, i.e., \[ (6)\quad \lim_{x\to +\infty}\frac{g(x)}{x}=\mu,\quad \lim_{x\to - \infty}\frac{g(x)}{x}=\nu. \] Observing that the quotient g(x)/x could vary from one eigenvalue of L as \(x\to -\infty\) to the next one as \(x\to +\infty\), or even could cross eigenvalues of L. S. Fučik called the function g a ``jumping nonlinearity''. E. N. Dancer and S. Fučik considered the positively homogeneous equation \((7)\quad \ddot x+\mu x_+-\nu x_-=0,\) where \(x_+=\max (x,0)\) and \(x_-=\max (-x,0)\) and introduced the set K, known as Fučik spectrum, of points \((\mu,\nu)\in {\mathbb{R}}^ 2\) such that (7) has a nonzero periodic solution. They proved that if \((\mu,\nu)\not\in K\) and g satisfies (6), equation (5) has a periodic solution. In J. Differ. Equations 78, No.1, 1-32 (1989; Zbl 0676.34025) \textit{P. Habets} and \textit{G. Metzen}, generalized condition (6) for a Duffing equation using assumptions of type (4) \[ (8)\quad a(t)\leq \liminf_{x\to +\infty}\frac{g(t,x)}{x}\leq \limsup_{x\to +\infty}\frac{g(t,x)}{x}\leq b(t), \] \[ (9)\quad c(t)\leq \liminf_{x\to -\infty}\frac{g(t,x)}{x}\leq \limsup_{x\to - \infty}\frac{g(t,x)}{x}\leq d(t), \] together with a condition called property P. This property replaces the assumption (\(\mu\),\(\nu)\)\(\not\in K\) by imposing that zero is the only periodic solution of the positively homogeneous equation \[ (10)\quad \ddot x+c\dot x+p(t)x_+-g(t)x_-=0, \] whenever a(t)\(\leq p(t)\leq b(t)\), c(t)\(\leq g(t)\leq d(t).\) A similar phenomenon as that remarked by E. N. Dancer and S. Fučik was observed by \textit{A. Fonda} and \textit{F. Zanolin} [Commentat. Math. Univ. Carol. 28, No.1, 33-41 (1987; Zbl 0625.34046)] for the Liénard equation \((11)\quad \ddot x+f(x)\dot x+g(x)=e(t).\) Assuming (6) as well as (12) \(\lim_{x\to +\infty}f(x)=p\), \(\lim_{x\to -\infty}f(x)=q\), they indicate a set K in the (\(\mu\),\(\nu\),p,g) space which generalizes the Fučik spectrum and is such that if (\(\mu\),\(\nu\),p,g)\(\not\in K\), the equation (11) has at least one periodic solution. In the paper under review, the authors weaken the conditions (6) and (12) on g and f using a property P and prove the existence of periodic solutions for (11). They also apply these ideas for the Rayleigh equation (13) ẍ\(+f(t,\dot x)+g(t,x)=e(t)\), and for the third order equation (14) \(\dddot x+a\ddot x+b\dot x+g(t,x)=e(t)\). The authors systematically investigate property P and the existence of periodic solutions for first order equations in \(R^ n\), for equations in \(R^ 2\) using phase plane methods (which applies to Liénard and Rayleigh equations), and for equations in \(R^ 3\) using \(L^ 2\)-estimates on the solutions and their derivatives. The study unifies the previous results and opens new research directions.