Periodic solutions to superlinear indefinite planar systems: a topological degree approach (Q6046546)

The authors are mainly interested in proving the existence of positive periodic solutions for the planar system \[ u'=h(t,v),\qquad v'=-\lambda a(t)g(u). \] Here are their main assumptions. The function \(h : {\mathbb R} \times {\mathbb R} \to {\mathbb R}\) is continuous, \(T\)-periodic in the first variable, with \(h(t , 0) \equiv 0\), and such that \(h(t , \cdot)\) is strictly increasing. The function \(a:{\mathbb R}\to{\mathbb R}\) is a sign-changing \(T\)-periodic continuous function, having a finite number of zeros in \([0,T]\), with \(\int_0^Ta(t)\,dt<0\). The function \(g:[0,+\infty[\,\to[0,+\infty[\) is continuous, regularly oscillating at \(0\), with \(g(0)=0\) and \(g(s) > 0\) for \(s > 0\). Moreover, they introduce the following ``superlinear'' assumption at \(0\). \[ \lim_{s\to0^+} \frac{h(t,Kg(s))}{s} = 0, \text{ uniformly in } t, \text{ for every }K\in{\mathbb R}. \] Under these assumptions, they prove that the system has at least one \(T\)-periodic solution \((u, v)\), with \(u > 0\), for every sufficiently large \(\lambda > 0\). If moreover the following ``superlinear'' assumption at \(+\infty\) holds, \[ \lim_{s\to+\infty}\operatorname{sign}(K) \frac{h(t,Kg(s))}{s} = +\infty, \text{ uniformly in } t, \text{ for every }K\in{\mathbb R}\setminus\{0\}, \] then the same conclusion holds for every \(\lambda > 0\). These are two particular cases of a more general theorem. The proof is based on degree theory.