 Solution

When $r=p^{\prime }$, write the differential expression in divergence form,Two integrations by parts give the Lagrange identity for a Sturm-Liouville operator:The $q$ terms cancel because $q$ is real. Hence the exact boundary criterion, in the sense of self-adjointness defined in the question, isAt regular endpoints, all separated homogeneous conditions of the following type satisfy it:with real coefficients, not both zero at either endpoint. The allowed value-and-flux pairs at an endpoint are proportional, so their determinant $p(f{g}^{\prime }-f^{\prime }g)$ vanishes. This includes Dirichlet boundary conditions, Neumann boundary conditions, Robin boundary conditions and arbitrary mixtures of these at the two ends.

Coupled conditions can also work: periodic conditions $y(b)=y(a)$ and $p(b)y^{\prime }(b)=p(a)y^{\prime }(a)$ make the two endpoint expressions equal; simultaneous minus signs give the antiperiodic case. Thus requiring each endpoint term separately to vanish is sufficient, but not necessary.

More generally, for regular endpoints set $Y=(y(a),y(b){)}^{\mathsf{T}}$ and $N=(-p(a)y^{\prime }(a),p(b)y^{\prime }(b){)}^{\mathsf{T}}$. All maximal homogeneous self-adjoint boundary conditions can be written $AY+BN=0$ with real two-by-two matrices satisfying $\mathrm{rank}(AB)=2$ and $A{B}^{\mathsf{T}}=B{A}^{\mathsf{T}}$. If an endpoint is singular, the relevant limiting boundary form and admissible domain must instead be specified; the assumption $p>0$ only in the interior does not itself fix those endpoint limits.