@article {12166, title = {Positive solutions for super-sublinear indefinite problems: high multiplicity results via coincidence degree}, journal = {Trans. Amer. Math. Soc.}, number = {Transactions of the American Mathematical Society;}, year = {2018}, note = {AMS Subject Classification: 34B15, 34B18, 34C25, 34C28, 47H11.}, publisher = {American Mathematical Society}, abstract = {

We study the periodic boundary value problem associated with the second order nonlinear equation u{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}+(λa+(t)-μa-(t))g(u)=0, where g(u) has superlinear growth at zero and sublinear growth at infinity. For λ,μ positive and large, we prove the existence of 3^m-1 positive T-periodic solutions when the weight function a(t) has m positive humps separated by m negative ones (in a T-periodicity interval). As a byproduct of our approach we also provide abundance of positive subharmonic solutions and symbolic dynamics. The proof is based on coincidence degree theory for locally compact operators on open unbounded sets and also applies to Neumann and Dirichlet boundary conditions. Finally, we deal with radially symmetric positive solutions for the Neumann and the Dirichlet problems associated with elliptic PDEs.

}, url = {http://urania.sissa.it/xmlui/handle/1963/35264}, author = {Alberto Boscaggin and Guglielmo Feltrin and Fabio Zanolin} } @article {doi:10.1142/S0219199717500213, title = {Positive subharmonic solutions to nonlinear ODEs with indefinite weight}, journal = {Communications in Contemporary Mathematics}, volume = {20}, number = {01}, year = {2018}, pages = {1750021}, abstract = {

We prove that the superlinear indefinite equation u" + a(t)up = 0, where p \> 1 and a(t) is a T-periodic sign-changing function satisfying the (sharp) mean value condition ∫0Ta(t)dt \< 0, has positive subharmonic solutions of order k for any large integer k, thus providing a further contribution to a problem raised by Butler in its pioneering paper [Rapid oscillation, nonextendability, and the existence of periodic solutions to second order nonlinear ordinary differential equations, J. Differential Equations 22 (1976) 467{\textendash}477]. The proof, which applies to a larger class of indefinite equations, combines coincidence degree theory (yielding a positive harmonic solution) with the Poincar{\'e}{\textendash}Birkhoff fixed point theorem (giving subharmonic solutions oscillating around it).

}, doi = {10.1142/S0219199717500213}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219199717500213}, author = {Alberto Boscaggin and Guglielmo Feltrin} } @article {2016, title = {Pairs of positive periodic solutions of nonlinear ODEs with indefinite weight: a topological degree approach for the super-sublinear case}, journal = {Proc. Roy. Soc. Edinburgh Sect. A 146 (2016), 449{\textendash}474.}, number = {Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Section A. Mathematics;volume 146; issue 3; pages 449-474;}, year = {2016}, note = {AMS Subject Classification: Primary 34B18; 34C25; Secondary 34B15; 47H11;}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, abstract = {

We study the periodic and Neumann boundary value problems associated with the second order nonlinear differential equation u{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}+cu{\textquoteright}+λa(t)g(u)=0, where g:[0,+$\infty$[{\textrightarrow}[0,+$\infty$[ is a sublinear function at infinity having superlinear growth at zero. We prove the existence of two positive solutions when ∫a(t)dt 0 is sufficiently large. Our approach is based on Mawhin{\textquoteright}s coincidence degree theory and index computations.

}, doi = {10.1017/S0308210515000621}, url = {http://urania.sissa.it/xmlui/handle/1963/35262}, author = {Alberto Boscaggin and Guglielmo Feltrin and Fabio Zanolin} } @mastersthesis {2016, title = {Positive solutions to indefinite problems: a topological approach}, year = {2016}, note = {The research work described in this Ph.D. thesis has produced 10 papers.}, school = {SISSA}, abstract = {The present Ph.D. thesis is devoted to the study of positive solutions to indefinite problems. In particular, we deal with the second order nonlinear differential equation u{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} + a(t) g(u) = 0, where g : [0,+$\infty$[{\textrightarrow}[0,+$\infty$[ is a continuous nonlinearity and a : [0,T]{\textrightarrow}R is a Lebesgue integrable sign-changing weight. We analyze the Dirichlet, Neumann and periodic boundary value problems on [0,T] associated with the equation and we provide existence, nonexistence and multiplicity results for positive solutions. In the first part of the manuscript, we investigate nonlinearities g(u) with a superlinear growth at zero and at infinity (including the classical superlinear case g(u)=u^p, with p>1). In particular, we prove that there exist 2^m-1 positive solutions when a(t) has m positive humps separated by negative ones and the negative part of a(t) is sufficiently large. Then, for the Dirichlet problem, we solve a conjecture by G{\'o}mez-Re{\~n}asco and L{\'o}pez-G{\'o}mez (JDE, 2000) and, for the periodic problem, we give a complete answer to a question raised by Butler (JDE, 1976). In the second part, we study the super-sublinear case (i.e. g(u) is superlinear at zero and sublinear at infinity). If a(t) has m positive humps separated by negative ones, we obtain the existence of 3^m-1 positive solutions of the boundary value problems associated with the parameter-dependent equation u{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} + λ a(t) g(u) = 0, when both λ>0 and the negative part of a(t) are sufficiently large. We propose a new approach based on topological degree theory for locally compact operators on open possibly unbounded sets, which applies for Dirichlet, Neumann and periodic boundary conditions. As a byproduct of our method, we obtain infinitely many subharmonic solutions and globally defined positive solutions with complex behavior, and we deal with chaotic dynamics. Moreover, we study positive radially symmetric solutions to the Dirichlet and Neumann problems associated with elliptic PDEs on annular domains. Furthermore, this innovative technique has the potential and the generality needed to deal with indefinite problems with more general differential operators. Indeed, our approach apply also for the non-Hamiltonian equation u{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} + cu{\textquoteright} + a(t) g(u) = 0. Meanwhile, more general operators in the one-dimensional case and problems involving PDEs will be subjects of future investigations.}, keywords = {positive solutions}, author = {Guglielmo Feltrin} }