Sign-changing solutions of nonlinear boundary value problems of difference equations (Q955906)

Consider the following discrete time boundary value problem \[ -\triangle^2u(t-1) = \lambda u(t) - g(u(t)) ,\;t\in T:=\{a+1,\ldots,b+1\} ;\;u(a)=u(b+2)=0 \] \noindent under the following assumptions: A1) \(g\in C^1(R,R)\), \(g(0)=g'(0)=0\); A2) \(\lim_{| s| \rightarrow\infty} g(s)/s = \infty\). Then, if \(\lambda>\mu_k\), \(k\in\{1,\ldots,N\}\), where \(\mu_k\) is one of the \(N=b-a+1\) eigenvalues of the BVP with the ordering \(\mu_1<\mu_2<\ldots<\mu_N\), there are exactly \(2k\) solutions \(u_j^+\), \(u_j^-\) (\(j=1,\ldots,k\)) such that \(u_j^+\) has exactly \(j-1\) generalized zeros in \([a+1,b+1]\) and \(u_j^+(a+1)>0\) and \(u_j^-\) has exactly \(j-1\) generalized zeros in \([a+1,b+1]\) and \(u_j^-(a+1)<0\). The proof is based on the global bifurcation theorem of P. Rabinowitz concerning eigenvalue bifurcations.