Right focal point boundary value problems for ordinary differential equations and variational equations (Q789581)

For the differential equation \(y^{(n)}=f(x,y,y',...,y^{(n-1)})\), (1), solutions of right focal point BVP's are studied. Definition: Given 2\(\leq r\leq n\), let \(m_ 1,...,m_ r\) be positive integers partitioning n. Let \(s_ 0=0\), and for 1\(\leq k\leq r\), let \(s_ k=\sum^{k}_{i=1}m_ i\). A BVP for (1) of the form \(y^{(i)}(x_ k)=y_{ik}\), \(s_{k-1}\leq i\leq s_ k-1\), 1\(\leq k\leq r\), where \(x_ 1<...<x_ r\) and \(x_ k\in I\) is called a right \((m_ 1,...,m_ r)\)-focal BVP for (1) on I. If each such BVP has at most one solution, (1) is said to be right \((m_ 1,...,m_ r)\)-disfocal on I. It is assumed that f and \(\partial f/\partial y^ i\) are continuous on \(I\times {\mathbb{R}}^ n\), that IVP's for (1) extend to I, and that solutions of (1) satisfy a type of compactness condition. Then in terms of the variational equation \[ (2)\quad z^{(n)}=\sum^{n}_{i=1}\partial f/\partial y^ i(x,y(x),...,y^{(n-1)})z^{(i-1)}, \] where y(x) is a solution of (1), a uniqueness result and an existence result for right focal point BVP's for (1) are proved. Theorem 2.4. Let \(1\leq p\leq n=1\) be given and assume that (2) is right \((m_ 1,...,m_ r)\)-disfocal, for all \((m_ 1,...,m_ r)\) with \(m_ r\geq n-p\), \(r=2,3,...,p+1,\) along all solutions y(x) of (1) on I. Then (1) is right \((m_ 1,...,m_ r)\)-disfocal on I, for all \((m_ 1,...,m_ r)\) with \(m_ r\geq n-p, r=2,3,...,p+1\). Theorem 3.2. Assume the hypotheses of Theorem 2.4 and assume in addition that every right \((j_ 1,...,\hat j_ r)\)-focal point BVP, with \(j_ r\geq n-p,\) \(r\geq 2\), for (1) on I has a solution. Then every right \((m_ 1,...,m_ r)\)- focal point BVP, \(m_ r\leq n-p+1,\) \(r\geq 2\), for (1) on I has a unique solution.