Second order differential operators with Feller–Wentzell type boundary conditions

In this paper, we study a basic generation problem concerning the second order differential operator a d2 dx2 + b d dx + c in the space C[0, 1] of complex continuous functions equipped with Feller–Wentzell type boundary conditions, which originates from the work of Feller [W. Feller, The parabolic differential equations and the associated semi-groups of transformations, Ann. of Math. (2) 55 (1952) 468–519]. We prove successfully that the operator, under suitable assumptions, generates a strongly continuous cosine function on C[0, 1] (or on a subspace of C[0, 1]), by means of an operator matrix analysis combined with perturbation, approximation, and similarity techniques. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.