Asymptotic behavior of the solutions and nodal points of Sturm-Liouville differential expressions (Q606060)

For real \(\lambda\geq0\) and some \(\rho_{\lambda}\geq0\), denote by \(V_{\rho_{\lambda}}[0,\pi]\) the ball with radius \(\rho_{\lambda}\) in the space of real functions \(q_{\lambda}:[0,1]\to\mathbb R\) having bounded variation. For given \(q_{\lambda}\in V_{\rho_{\lambda}}[0,\pi]\), \(q_{\lambda}(0)=0\), denote by \(0\leq x_{0,\lambda}<x_{1,\lambda}<\dots<x_{n(\lambda),\lambda}\leq\pi\) the zeros of the solution of the Cauchy problem \[ y''+(\lambda-q_{\lambda}(x))y=0,\quad y(0,\lambda)=1,\;y'(0,\lambda)=0 \] that lie in \([0,\pi]\). The author proves that, if \(\rho_{\lambda}=o(\sqrt{\lambda}/\log\lambda)\) as \(\lambda\to\infty\), then \(x_{k,\lambda}=(2k+1)\pi/2\sqrt{\lambda}+o(\lambda^{-1/2}/\log\lambda)\) as \(\lambda\to\infty\), where the decrease rate in the \(o\)-symbol depends neither on \(q_{\lambda}\) nor on \(k\), \(0\leq k\leq n\). A corresponding asymptotic formula is obtained in the case of boundary conditions \(y(0,\lambda)=0\), \(y'(0,\lambda)=1\), and asymptotic formulas for the values \(y'(x_{k,\lambda})\) are given in both cases. Further, it is shown that this asymptotic order cannot be obtained if one rejects the condition that \(q_{\lambda}\) is of bounded variation.