Bounds and higher-order estimates for Sturm-Liouville eigenvalues (Q792072)

In an earlier paper by the second author, \textit{F. R. de Hoog} and \textit{P. J. Robb} [(*) ibid. 83, 11-19 (1981; Zbl 0477.65063)], it is known that if \(\lambda_ k\), \(\lambda_{k+}\) and \(\lambda_{k-}\) are the k-th eigenvalue and its upper and lower bounds, respectively, where \(k=1,2,...\), then \(\lambda_{k-}\leq \lambda_ k\leq \lambda_{k+}, | \lambda_ k-\lambda_{k\pm}| \leq C_ 1(k)h\) for the Sturm- Liouville problem given by the equations \((ry')'+(\lambda p-q)y=0\) on \((x_{i-1},x_ i)\), \(i=1,...,n\), \(\alpha(ry')(a)+\beta y(a)=0=\gamma(ry')(b)+\delta y(b)\), \(y\in C[a,b]\), ry'\(\in C[r;a,b]\). The following second-order convergence result \(| \lambda_ k- 1/2(\lambda_{k+}+\lambda_{k-})| \leq C_ 2(k)h^ 2\) is proved in the present paper, a result which was suggested by numerical results and noted in (*). Some other results are given which are of interest to numerical computations with Sturm-Liouville problems. This paper is a theoretical follow-up of the algorithm in (*) for computing the bounds \(\lambda_{k+}\) and \(\lambda_{k-}\).