# A note on one inverse spectral problem.

## Abstract

The note contains the proof of the uniqueness theorem for the inverse problem in the case of $`n`$-th order differential equation.

The inverse spectral problem is studied in papers of many authors (). Extensive bibliographies for the inverse spectral problem can be found in .

Let’s consider the spectral problem for the common differential differential equation:

$$F(x,y(x),y^{}(x),\mathrm{},y^{(n)},q_1(x),q_2(x),\mathrm{},q_m(x),\lambda )=0$$
(1)   
with common boundary conditions

$$U_j(y(x),\lambda ,a_0,a_1,\mathrm{},a_s)=0,j=1,\mathrm{},n.$$
(2)   
Here $`x[0,1],`$ $`\lambda `$ is eigenvalue parameter, $`q_i`$ ($`i=1,\mathrm{}m`$) are uncertain factors of the equation, $`a_i`$ ($`i=0,\mathrm{},s`$) are uncertain constants of boundary conditions, $`q_iC^1[0,1]`$ ($`i=1,\mathrm{}m`$), $`a_i\text{}`$ ($`i=0,\mathrm{},s`$).

The spectral problem defined by equalities (1)–(2) we shall name $`F.`$

Along with the problem $`F`$ we shall consider $`m`$ problems: $`A_i`$:

$`y^{\prime \prime }+q_i(x)y=\lambda y,`$   
$`y^{}(0)=0,`$   
$`y^{}(1)=0.`$   
and one more problem $`A_{m+1}`$:

$`y^{\prime \prime }+3y^{}+2\lambda ^2y=0,`$ (3)   
$`y(0)=0,`$ (4)   
$`y^{}(1)+a(\lambda )y(1)=0,`$ (5)   
Theorem.

If eigenvalues of the problems $`A_i`$ and $`\stackrel{~}{A}_i`$ ($`i=1,\mathrm{\hspace{0.17em}2},\mathrm{},m+1`$) coincide with their algebraic multiplicities, then the factors of the equations and the constant in the boundary conditions of the problems $`F`$ and $`\stackrel{~}{F}`$ coincide, that is $`q_i(x)\stackrel{~}{q}_i(x),`$ $`a_k=\stackrel{~}{a}_k`$ $`i=1,\mathrm{\hspace{0.17em}2},\mathrm{},m`$ $`k=1,\mathrm{\hspace{0.17em}2},\mathrm{},s.`$

Proof. It follows from Ambarzumijan’s theorem () that the equality $`q_i(x)=\stackrel{~}{q}_i(x)`$ is true.

Functions $`y_1(x,\lambda )=e^{2\lambda x}+2e^{\lambda x},`$ $`y_2(x,\lambda )=\frac{1}{\lambda }(e^{2\lambda x}e^{\lambda x})`$ are solutions of the differential equation (3), satisfying

$$y_1(0,\lambda )=1,y_1^{}(0,\lambda )=0,y_2(0,\lambda )=0,y_2^{}(0,\lambda )=1.$$
(6)   
Let $`A(\lambda )`$ be a polynomial $`a_0+a_1\lambda +a_2\lambda ^2+\mathrm{}+a_s\lambda ^s.`$

The eigenvalues $`\lambda _i`$ of the problems (3)–(5) are the roots of a characteristic determinant, therefore its satisfy to the following equation:

$$\mathrm{\Delta }(\lambda )=\frac{1}{\lambda }\left(e^{2\lambda }e^\lambda \right)+a(\lambda )\left(e^{2\lambda }+2e^\lambda \right)=0.$$
(7)   
This function has infinite number of the radicals. (For this reason the equation was selected by such: $`y^{\prime \prime }+3y^{}+2\lambda ^2y=0.`$ Generally speaking it was possible to select any equation having not less $`s`$ pairwise different nonzero eigenvalues.)

From (6) we have

$$1a_0+\lambda _ia_1+\lambda _i^{\mathrm{\hspace{0.17em}2}}a_2+\mathrm{}+\lambda _i^sa_s=\frac{e^{2\lambda _i}e^{\lambda _i}}{\lambda _ie^{2\lambda _i}+2\lambda _ie^{\lambda _i}}.$$
(8)   
The equalities (8) is a system of $`(s+1)`$ linear equaions having $`(s+1)`$ unknown $`a_0,`$ $`a_1,`$ $`a_2,`$ $`\mathrm{},`$ $`a_s`$ of the boundary condition. The determinant of this system is the Vandermonde determinant. As the eigenvalues $`\lambda _i`$ are pairwise different and are not equal to zero, the Vandermonde determinant is not equal to zero. Therefore system (8) has a unique solution. From here Follows, that the constants $`a_0,`$ $`a_1,`$ $`a_2,`$ $`\mathrm{},`$ $`a_s`$ are determined univalently.

The theorem is proved.