Comparison theorems for self‐adjoint linear Hamiltonian eigenvalue problems

Abstract

In this work we derive new comparison results for (finite) eigenvalues of two self‐adjoint linear Hamiltonian eigenvalue problems. The coefficient matrices depend on the spectral parameter nonlinearly and the spectral parameter is present also in the boundary conditions. We do not impose any controllability or strict normality assumptions. Our method is based on a generalization of the Sturmian comparison theorem for such systems. The results are new even for the Dirichlet boundary conditions, for linear Hamiltonian systems depending linearly on the spectral parameter, and for Sturm–Liouville eigenvalue problems with nonlinear dependence on the spectral parameter.