The regular Sturm–Liouville problem

$$ \tau y:=-y''+qy=\lambda y\quad\text{on }[0,1],\ \lambda\in\CC, $$

is studied subject to boundary conditions

$$ P_j(\lambda)y'(j)=Q_j(\lambda)y(j),\quad j=0,1, $$

where $q\in L^1(0,1)$ and $P_j$ and $Q_j$ are polynomials with real coefficients. A comparison is made between this problem and the corresponding ‘reduced’ one where all common factors are removed from the boundary conditions. Topics treated include Jordan chain structure, eigenvalue asymptotics and eigenfunction oscillation.

We consider Sturm–Liouville boundary-value problems on the interval $[0,1]$ of the form $-y''+qy=\lambda y$ with boundary conditions $y'(0)\sin\alpha=y(0)\cos\alpha$ and $y'(1)=(a\lambda+b)y(1)$, where $a\lt0$. We show that via multiple Crum–Darboux transformations, this boundary-value problem can be transformed ‘almost’ isospectrally to a boundary-value problem of the same form, but with the boundary condition at $x=1$ replaced by $y'(1)\sin\beta=y(1)\cos\beta$, for some $\beta$.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 34B07; 47E05; 34L05

We study a system of ordinary differential equations linked by parameters and subject to boundary conditions depending on parameters. We assume certain definiteness conditions on the coefficient functions and on the boundary conditions that yield, in the corresponding abstract setting, a right-definite case. We give results on location of the eigenvalues and oscillation of the eigenfunctions.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 34B08; 34B24