An application of coincidence degree theory to cyclic feedback type systems associated with nonlinear differential operators (Q684084)

In this interesting paper the authors consider the \(T\)-periodic boundary value problem associated to a system of ODEs of the form \[ x'_1=g_1(x_2), x'_2=g_2(x_3), \dots, x'_{n-1}=g_{n-1}(x_{n}), x'_n=h(t,x_1,\dots,x_n), \] where \(g_1, \dots, g_{n-1}\) are continuous and \(h\) is \(T\)-periodic in the first variable and satisfies the Carathéodory conditions. In order to describe one of the main results, consider the parameter-dependent system \[ x'_1=g_1(x_2), x'_2=g_2(x_3), \dots, x'_{n-1}=g_{n-1}(x_{n}), x'_n=\theta h(t,x_1,\dots,x_n)\, (\theta \in (0,1]) \] and the functions \(\hat g(s)=(g_1(s_2),\dots, g_{n-1}(s_n),h^\sharp(s))\) being \(h^\sharp (s)= (1/T) \int_0^T h(t, s_1, \dots, s_n) dt\). It is assumed that there exists a compact set \(K \subset \Omega\) containing all the possible \(T\)-solutions of the \(\theta\)-dependent system and that the set \(\hat g^{-1}(0) \cap \Omega\) is compact. Then, it is proved in Theorem 3.3 that if the Brouwer degree of \(\hat g\) is different from zero then the given system has a \(T\)-periodic solution. Applications are given to a \(n\)-th order system of the form \[ (\phi_{n-1}((\dots(\phi_2((\phi_1(u'))'))' \dots )'))' + k(t,u,u', \dots, u^{(n)})=0, \] where \(\phi_i\) is a homeomorphism. Theorem 3.11 deals with particular case \((\phi(u'))' + \lambda k(t,u,u')=0\); it is given an existence result which improves the work by \textit{R. Manásevich} and \textit{J. Mawhin} [J. Differ. Equations 145, No. 2, 367--393 (1998; Zbl 0910.34051)]. Theorem 4.6 deals with an analogous second order system but, instead of the average function \(h^\sharp\), it is considered a parameter-dependent function \(\tilde k\) such that \(\tilde k(t,x_1,x_2,1)=k(t,x_1,x_2)\) and \(\tilde k(t,x_1,x_2,0)=k_0(x_1,x_2)\), for some autonomous field \(k_0\). The proofs are performed in the framework of Mawhin's coincidence degree theory.