Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 February 2012
The differential equation
in N dimensions is considered, where q(x) is periodic. When N = 1, it is known that the conditional stability set coincides with the spectrum and that these also coincide with two other sets involving eigenvalues of associated eigenvalue problems. These results have been proved by means of the Floquet theory and the discriminant. Here an alternative proof is given which avoids the Floquet theory and which applies to the general case of N dimensions.