High multiplicity and chaos for an indefinite problem arising from genetic models (Q783326)

The authors consider the periodic boundary value problem associated with the parameter dependent second-order nonlinear differential equation \[u''+cu+(\lambda a^+(x)-\mu a^-(x))g(u)=0,\] where \(\lambda, \mu>0\), \(c\in\mathbb R\), \(a(x)\) is a locally integrable \(P\)-periodic sign-changing weight function, with \(a^+(x)\), \(a^-(x)\) respectively its positive and negative part, and \(g\) is a continuous real-valued map on the interval \([0,1]\) satisfying \(g(0)=g(1)=0\) and \(g(u)>0\) for all \(u\in (0,1)\), with superlinear growth at zero. Using a topological degree approach, they provide high multiplicity results by exploiting the nodal behavior of the weight function. They prove as well the existence of \(3^m-1\) nonconstant positive \(P\)-periodic solutions, whenever the parameters \(\lambda\) and \(\mu\) are positive and large enough and where \(m\) is the number of intervals of positivity of the weight function in a \(P\)-periodicity interval. Finally, they show the existence of a family of globally defined solutions with a complex behavior.