Positive solutions of fourth order Thomas-Fermi type differential equations in the framework of regular variation (Q693166)

The authors consider the fourth-order equation \[ x^{(4)} = q(t)|x|^{\gamma } \operatorname{sgn}x \tag{A} \] for \(0<\gamma <1\) -- the sublinear case, assuming \(q\) to be regularly varying at infinity of index \(\sigma \in {\mathbb R}\) denoted as \(q\in \operatorname{RV}(\sigma)\) [\textit{N. H. Bingham} et al., Regular variation. Cambridge etc.: Cambridge University Press (1987; Zbl 0617.26001)]. The main results of the paper are as follows. Necessary and sufficient conditions in terms of \(\sigma \) and \(\gamma \) are obtained for equation (A) to possess nontrivial regularly varying solutions \(x\) of index \(\rho \in (0,1,2,3)\). Also, the precise asymptotic behavior as \(t\rightarrow \infty \) of these \(x\) is determined. Further, sufficient conditions (not overlapping with the previous ones) are obtained for equation (A) to possess regularly bounded solutions. Also, an asymptotic estimate of these (in terms of inequalities holding for large \(t\)) is determined. Remark of the reviewer: In Theorem 5, the words ``slowly varying'' should be replaced by ``RV(1)''.