For an arbitrary open, nonempty, bounded set 938f0fc4478d11304a01" title="Click to view the MathML source">Ω⊂Rn, b2e8213826" title="Click to view the MathML source">n∈N, and sufficiently smooth coefficients 93e7e787bf1213b235b01262b51" title="Click to view the MathML source">a,b,q, we consider the closed, strictly positive, higher-order differential operator e552fc970147260c5d" title="Click to view the MathML source">AΩ,2m(a,b,q) in L2(Ω) defined on a190aac9f6c74">, associated with the differential expression
and its Krein–von Neumann extension AK,Ω,2m(a,b,q) in L2(Ω). Denoting by 934320" title="Click to view the MathML source">N(λ;AK,Ω,2m(a,b,q)), e5887571a78720" title="Click to view the MathML source">λ>0, the eigenvalue counting function corresponding to the strictly positive eigenvalues of AK,Ω,2m(a,b,q), we derive the bound
where 93583079aad096e5" title="Click to view the MathML source">C=C(a,b,q,Ω)>0 (with C(In,0,0,Ω)=|Ω|) is connected to the eigenfunction expansion of the self-adjoint operator in L2(Rn) defined on W2m,2(Rn), corresponding to τ2m(a,b,q). Here a1a8e064040393224564798b3223ed71" title="Click to view the MathML source">vn:=πn/2/Γ((n+2)/2) denotes the (Euclidean) volume of the unit ball in e5ee4c2a0c93f5c7dd08d47" title="Click to view the MathML source">Rn.
Our method of proof relies on variational considerations exploiting the fundamental link between the Krein–von Neumann extension and an underlying abstract buckling problem, and on the distorted Fourier transform defined in terms of the eigenfunction transform of in L2(Rn).
We also consider the analogous bound for the eigenvalue counting function for the Friedrichs extension a1004e0773e4317b0b20c7f7e4b3" title="Click to view the MathML source">AF,Ω,2m(a,b,q) in L2(Ω) of e552fc970147260c5d" title="Click to view the MathML source">AΩ,2m(a,b,q).