For an arbitrary open,
nonempty, bounded set
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si1.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=6b9e949dd851938f0fc4478d11304a01" title="Click to view the MathML source">Ω⊂Rnclass="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">,
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si2.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=69c9ef5221267c27b13c5eb2e8213826" title="Click to view the MathML source">n∈Nclass="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">, and sufficiently smooth coefficients
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si3.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=1cb6493e7e787bf1213b235b01262b51" title="Click to view the MathML source">a,b,qclass="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">, we consider
the closed, strictly positive, higher-order differential operator
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si258.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=0929aaa775cb1ee552fc970147260c5d" title="Click to view the MathML source">AΩ,2m(a,b,q)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode"> in
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si369.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=d121ec289aba44d21c895447b153ac28" title="Click to view the MathML source">L2(Ω)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode"> defined on
class="mathmlsrc">title="View the MathML source" class="mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si6.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=b42d7a0e6590734e640a190aac9f6c74">
class="imgLazyJSB inlineImage" height="20" width="71" alt="View the MathML source" title="View the MathML source" src="/sd/grey_pxl.gif" data-inlimgeid="1-s2.0-S0001870816305412-si6.gif"><noscript>
the MathML source" title="View the MathML source" src="http://origin-ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0001870816305412-si6.gif">noscript>class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">, associated with
the differential expression
class="formula" id="fm0010">
and its Krein–von Neumann extension
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si11.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=e2b56797399b5ae4f9caee6dda0d791f" title="Click to view the MathML source">AK,Ω,2m(a,b,q)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode"> in
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si369.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=d121ec289aba44d21c895447b153ac28" title="Click to view the MathML source">L2(Ω)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">. De
noting by
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si62.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=cdc449ee02c64da54ea89b5ac8934320" title="Click to view the MathML source">N(λ;AK,Ω,2m(a,b,q))class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">,
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si10.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=54b878bd15ec619da6e5887571a78720" title="Click to view the MathML source">λ>0class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">,
the eigenvalue counting function
corresponding to
the strictly positive eigenvalues of
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si11.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=e2b56797399b5ae4f9caee6dda0d791f" title="Click to view the MathML source">AK,Ω,2m(a,b,q)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">, we derive
the bound
class="formula" id="fm0020">
where
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si13.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=06a37e118520b7bf93583079aad096e5" title="Click to view the MathML source">C=C(a,b,q,Ω)>0class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode"> (with
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si14.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=69e16cf5a79976c0bdc5bc08b8e48a3a" title="Click to view the MathML source">C(In,0,0,Ω)=|Ω|class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">) is connected to
the eigenfunction expansion of
the self-adjoint operator
class="mathmlsrc">title="View the MathML source" class="mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si15.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=1c56f34c60fab11ca22431b52517af80">
class="imgLazyJSB inlineImage" height="20" width="82" alt="View the MathML source" title="View the MathML source" src="/sd/grey_pxl.gif" data-inlimgeid="1-s2.0-S0001870816305412-si15.gif"><noscript>
the MathML source" title="View the MathML source" src="http://origin-ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0001870816305412-si15.gif">noscript>class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode"> in
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si16.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=5bd6d975b045fb410d215a3c8a761dd6" title="Click to view the MathML source">L2(Rn)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode"> defined on
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si17.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=f8d3fa08ca5c2aa4866bc01139f4d46b" title="Click to view the MathML source">W2m,2(Rn)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">,
corresponding to
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si18.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=2e600e305f4eb19886d204c2c0a318fe" title="Click to view the MathML source">τ2m(a,b,q)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">. Here
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si19.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=a1a8e064040393224564798b3223ed71" title="Click to view the MathML source">vn:=πn/2/Γ((n+2)/2)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode"> de
notes
the (Euclidean) volume of
the unit ball in
class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si20.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=c87582d62e5ee4c2a0c93f5c7dd08d47" title="Click to view the MathML source">Rnclass="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">.
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 class="mathmlsrc">title="View the MathML source" class="mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si21.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=1762617bddf196643438789af1b5a5fb">
class="imgLazyJSB inlineImage" height="20" width="70" alt="View the MathML source" title="View the MathML source" src="/sd/grey_pxl.gif" data-inlimgeid="1-s2.0-S0001870816305412-si21.gif"><noscript>
the MathML source" title="View the MathML source" src="http://origin-ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0001870816305412-si21.gif">noscript>class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode"> in class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si16.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=5bd6d975b045fb410d215a3c8a761dd6" title="Click to view the MathML source">L2(Rn)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">.
We also consider the analogous bound for the eigenvalue counting function for the Friedrichs extension class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si22.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=509aa1004e0773e4317b0b20c7f7e4b3" title="Click to view the MathML source">AF,Ω,2m(a,b,q)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode"> in class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si369.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=d121ec289aba44d21c895447b153ac28" title="Click to view the MathML source">L2(Ω)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode"> of class="mathmlsrc">class="formulatext stixSupport mathImg" data-mathURL="/science?_ob=MathURL&_method=retrieve&_eid=1-s2.0-S0001870816305412&_mathId=si258.gif&_user=111111111&_pii=S0001870816305412&_rdoc=1&_issn=00018708&md5=0929aaa775cb1ee552fc970147260c5d" title="Click to view the MathML source">AΩ,2m(a,b,q)class="mathContainer hidden">class="mathCode">.
No assumptions on the boundary ∂Ω of Ω are made.