Positive solutions for some Schrödinger equations having partially periodic potentials

This paper is concerned with the problem of finding positive solutions of the equation −Δu+(a_∞+a(x))u=|u|^q−2u, where q is subcritical, Ω is either RN or an unbounded domain which is periodic in the first p coordinates and whose complement is contained in a cylinder , a_∞>0, a∈C(RN,R) is periodic in the first p coordinates, infx∈RN(a_∞+a(x))>0 and a(x^′,x^″)→0 as |x^″|→∞ uniformly in x^′. The cases a?0 and a?0 are considered and it is shown that, under appropriate assumptions on a, the problem has one solution in the first case and p+1 solutions in the second case when p?N−2.     

Solutions of the Cheeger problem via torsion functions

The Cheeger problem for a bounded domain Ω⊂RN, N>1 consists in minimizing the quotients |∂E|/|E| among all smooth subdomains E⊂Ω and the Cheeger constant h(Ω) is the minimum of these quotients. Let be the p-torsion function, that is, the solution of torsional creep problem −Δp?p=1 in Ω, ?p=0 on ∂Ω, where Δpu:=div(|∇u|^p−2∇u) is the p-Laplacian operator, p>1. The paper emphasizes the connection between these problems. We prove that . Moreover, we deduce the relation limp→¹⁺‖?p_‖L¹(Ω)?CNlimp→¹⁺‖?p_‖L^∞(Ω) where CN is a constant depending only of N and h(Ω), explicitely given in the paper. An eigenfunction u∈BV(Ω)∩L^∞(Ω) of the Dirichlet 1-Laplacian is obtained as the strong L¹ limit, as p→¹⁺, of a subsequence of the family {?p/‖?p_‖L¹(Ω)}_p>1. Almost all t-level sets Et of u are Cheeger sets and our estimates of u on the Cheeger set |E₀| yield |B₁|hN(B₁)?|E₀|hN(Ω), where B₁ is the unit ball in RN. For Ω convex we obtain u=|E₀|⁻¹χE₀.     

Boundary trace embedding theorems for variable exponent Sobolev spaces

We study boundary trace embedding theorems for variable exponent Sobolev space W1,p(⋅)(Ω). Let Ω be an open (bounded or unbounded) domain in RN satisfying strong local Lipschitz condition. Under the hypotheses that p∈L^∞(Ω), 1?infp(x)?supp(x)<N, |∇p|∈Lγ(⋅)(Ω), where γ∈L^∞(Ω) and infγ(x)>N, we prove that there is a continuous boundary trace embedding W1,p(⋅)(Ω)→Lq(⋅)(∂Ω) provided q(⋅), a measurable function on ∂Ω, satisfies condition for x∈∂Ω.     

Removable singularity of the polyharmonic equation

Let x₀∈Ω⊂Rⁿ, n≥2, be a domain and let m≥2. We will prove that a solution u of the polyharmonic equation Δ^mu=0 in Ω?{x₀} has a removable singularity at x₀ if and only if as |x−x₀|→0 for n≥3 and as |x−x₀|→0 for n=2. For m≥2 we will also prove that u has a removable singularity at x₀ if |u(x)|=o(|x−x₀|^2m−n) as |x−x₀|→0 for n≥3 and |u(x)|=o(|x−x₀|^2m−2log(|x−x₀|⁻¹)) as |x−x₀|→0 for n=2.     

Standing waves for supercritical nonlinear Schrödinger equations

Let V(x) be a non-negative, bounded potential in RN, N?3 and p supercritical, . We look for positive solutions of the standing-wave nonlinear Schrödinger equation Δu−V(x)u+up=0 in RN, with u(x)→0 as |x|→+∞. We prove that if V(x)=o(⁻²|x|) as |x|→+∞, then for N?4 and this problem admits a continuum of solutions. If in addition we have, for instance, V(x)=O(|x|^−μ) with μ>N, then this result still holds provided that N?3 and . Other conditions for solvability, involving behavior of V at ∞, are also provided.     

Boundary behaviour of the unique solution to a singular Dirichlet problem with a convection term

By Karamata regular variation theory and constructing comparison functions, we derive that the boundary behaviour of the unique solution to a singular Dirichlet problem −Δu=b(x)g(u)+λq|∇u|, u>0, x∈Ω, u_|∂Ω=0, which is independent of λq|∇uλ|, where Ω is a bounded domain with smooth boundary in RN, λ∈R, q∈(0,2], lims→⁰⁺g(s)=+∞, and b is non-negative on Ω, which may be vanishing on the boundary.     

Ground state solutions for a semilinear elliptic problem with a convection term

By a sub-supersolution method and a perturbed argument, we improve the earlier results concerning the existence of ground state solutions to a semilinear elliptic problem −Δu+p(x)q|∇u|=f(x,u), u>0, x∈RN, , where q∈(1,2], for some α∈(0,1), p(x)?0, ∀x∈RN, and f:RN×(0,∞)→[0,∞) is a locally Hölder continuous function which may be singular at zero.     

Isolated singularities for weighted quasilinear elliptic equations

We classify all the possible asymptotic behavior at the origin for positive solutions of quasilinear elliptic equations of the form div(|∇u|^p−2∇u)=b(x)h(u) in Ω?{0}, where 1<p?N and Ω is an open subset of RN with 0∈Ω. Our main result provides a sharp extension of a well-known theorem of Friedman and Véron for h(u)=uq and b(x)≡1, and a recent result of the authors for p=2 and b(x)≡1. We assume that the function h is regularly varying at ∞ with index q (that is, limt→∞h(λt)/h(t)=λq for every λ>0) and the weight function b(x) behaves near the origin as a function b₀(|x|) varying regularly at zero with index θ greater than −p. This condition includes b(x)=θ|x| and some of its perturbations, for instance, b(x)=θ|x|m(−log|x|) for any m∈R. Our approach makes use of the theory of regular variation and a new perturbation method for constructing sub- and super-solutions.     

Local existence of solutions to some degenerate parabolic equation associated with the p-Laplacian

The existence of local (in time) solutions of the initial-boundary value problem for the following degenerate parabolic equation: ut(x,t)−Δpu(x,t)−|u|^q−2u(x,t)=f(x,t), (x,t)∈Ω×(0,T), where 2?p<q<+∞, Ω is a bounded domain in RN, is given and Δp denotes the so-called p-Laplacian defined by Δpu:=∇⋅(|∇u|^p−2∇u), with initial data u₀∈Lr(Ω) is proved under r>N(q−p)/p without imposing any smallness on u₀ and f. To this end, the above problem is reduced into the Cauchy problem for an evolution equation governed by the difference of two subdifferential operators in a reflexive Banach space, and the theory of subdifferential operators and potential well method are employed to establish energy estimates. Particularly, Lr-estimates of solutions play a crucial role to construct a time-local solution and reveal the dependence of the time interval [0,T₀] in which the problem admits a solution. More precisely, T₀ depends only on Lr|u₀| and f.     

Scalar conservation laws with general boundary condition and continuous flux function

We introduce a notion of entropy solution for a scalar conservation law on a bounded domain with nonhomogeneous boundary condition: ut+divΦ(u)=f on Q=(0,T)×Ω, u(0,⋅)=u₀ on Ω and “u=a on some part of the boundary (0,T)×∂Ω.” Existence and uniqueness of the entropy solution is established for any Φ∈C(R;RN), u₀∈L^∞(Ω), f∈L^∞(Q), a∈L^∞((0,T)×∂Ω). In the L¹-setting, a corresponding result is proved for the more general notion of renormalised entropy solution.     

Global solutions of the fast diffusion equation with gradient absorption terms

We investigate the existence of nonnegative weak solutions to the problem ut=Δ(um)−p|∇u| in Rn×(0,∞) with ⁺(1−2/n)<m<1. It will be proved that: (i) When 1<p<2, if the initial datum u₀∈D(Rn) then there exists a solution; (ii) When 1<p<(2+mn)/(n+1), if the initial datum u₀(x) is a bounded and nonnegative measure then the solution exists; (iii) When (2+mn)/(n+1)?p<2, if the initial datum is a Dirac mass then the solution does not exist. We also study the large time behavior of the L¹-norm of solutions for 1<p?(2+mn)/(n+1), and the large time behavior of t1/β‖u(⋅,t)−Ec(⋅,t)L^∞_‖ for (2+mn)/(n+1)<p<2.     

A necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of large solutions to sublinear elliptic systems

We prove that the elliptic system Δu=p(|x|)vα, Δv=q(|x|)uβ on Rn (n?3) where 0<α?1, 0<β?1, and p and q are nonnegative continuous functions has a nonnegative entire radial solution satisfying lim|x|→∞u(x)=lim|x|→∞v(x)=∞ if and only if the functions p and q satisfy

     

The second expansion of the solution for a singular elliptic boundary value problem

In this paper we analyze the second expansion of the unique solution near the boundary to the singular Dirichlet problem −Δu=b(x)g(u), u>0, x∈Ω, u_|∂Ω=0, where Ω is a bounded domain with smooth boundary in RN, g∈C¹((0,∞),(0,∞)), g is decreasing on (0,∞) with and g is normalised regularly varying at zero with index −γ (γ>1), , is positive in Ω, may be vanishing on the boundary.     

Convergence to strong nonlinear diffusion waves for solutions to p-system with damping on quadrant

In this paper, we consider the so-called p-system with linear damping on quadrant. We show that for a certain class of given large initial data (v₀(x),u₀(x)), the corresponding initial-boundary value problem admits a unique global smooth solution (v(x,t),u(x,t)) and such a solution tends time-asymptotically, at the Lp (2?p?∞) optimal decay rates, to the corresponding nonlinear diffusion wave which satisfies (1.9) provided the corresponding prescribed initial error function (V₀(x),U₀(x)) lies in (H³(R⁺)∩L¹(R⁺))×(H²(R⁺)∩L¹(R⁺)).     

Concentration phenomena for a fourth-order equation with exponential growth: The radial case

We let Ω be a smooth bounded domain of R⁴ and a sequence of functions (Vk)_k∈N∈C⁰(Ω) such that limk→+∞Vk=1 in . We consider a sequence of functions (uk)_k∈N∈C⁴(Ω) such that Δ²uk=Vke4uk in Ω for all k∈N. We address in this paper the question of the asymptotic behavior of the (uk)'s when k→+∞. The corresponding problem in dimension 2 was considered by Brézis and Merle, and Li and Shafrir (among others), where a blow-up phenomenon was described and where a quantization of this blow-up was proved. Surprisingly, as shown by Adimurthi, Struwe and the author in [Adimurthi, F. Robert and M. Struwe, Concentration phenomena for Liouville equations in dimension four, J. Eur. Math. Soc., in press, available on http://www-math.unice.fr/~frobert], a similar quantization phenomenon does not hold for this fourth-order problem. Assuming that the uk's are radially symmetrical, we push further the analysis of the mentioned work. We prove that there are exactly three types of blow-up and we describe each type in a very detailed way.     

Isolated singularities of solutions to quasi-linear elliptic equations with absorption

We study the problem of removability of isolated singularities for a general second-order quasi-linear equation in divergence form −divA(x,u,∇u)+a₀(x,u)+g(x,u)=0 in a punctured domain Ω?{0}, where Ω is a domain in Rn, n?3. The model example is the equation −Δpu+gu|u|^p−2+u|u|^q−1=0, q>p−1>0, p<n. Assuming that the lower-order terms satisfy certain non-linear Kato-type conditions, we prove that for all point singularities of the above equation are removable, thus extending the seminal result of Brezis and Véron.     

Multiple positive solutions of nonhomogeneous elliptic systems with strongly indefinite structure and critical Sobolev exponents

In this paper, we study the existence of multiple positive solutions to some Hamiltonian elliptic systems −Δv=λu+u^p+εf(x), −Δu=μv+v^q+δg(x) in Ω;u,v>0 in Ω; u=v=0 on ∂Ω, where Ω is a bounded domain in R^N (N?3); 0?f, g∈L∞(Ω); 1/(p+1)+1/(q+1)=(N−2)/N, p,q>1; λ,μ>0. Using sub- and supersolution method and based on an adaptation of the dual variational approach, we prove the existence of at least two nontrivial positive solutions for all λ,μ∈(0,λ₁) and ε,δ∈(0,δ₀), where λ₁ is the first eigenvalue of the Laplace operator −Δ with zero Dirichlet boundary conditions and δ₀ is a positive number.     

The geometry of the critical set of nonlinear periodic Sturm-Liouville operators

We study the critical set C of the nonlinear differential operator F(u)=−u^″+f(u) defined on a Sobolev space of periodic functions Hp(S¹), p?1. Let be the plane z=0 and, for n>0, let n be the cone x²+y²=tan²z, |z−2πn|<π/2; also set . For a generic smooth nonlinearity f:R→R with surjective derivative, we show that there is a diffeomorphism between the pairs (Hp(S¹),C) and (R³,Σ)×H where H is a real separable infinite-dimensional Hilbert space.     

Existence of homoclinic solution for the second order Hamiltonian systems

An existence theorem of homoclinic solution is obtained for a class of the nonautonomous second order Hamiltonian systems , ∀t∈R, by the minimax methods in the critical point theory, specially, the generalized mountain pass theorem, where L(t) is unnecessary uniformly positively definite for all t∈R, and W(t,x) satisfies the superquadratic condition W(t,x)/|x|²→+∞ as |x|→∞ uniformly in t, and need not satisfy the global Ambrosetti-Rabinowitz condition.     

A generalization of the Strassen converse

This note is devoted to a generalization of the Strassen converse. Let gn:R^∞→[0,∞], n?1 be a sequence of measurable functions such that, for every n?1, and for all x,y∈R^∞, where 0<C<∞ is a constant which is independent of n. Let be a sequence of i.i.d. random variables. Assume that there exist r?1 and a function ?:[0,∞)→[0,∞) with limt→∞?(t)=∞, depending only on the sequence such that lim supn→∞gn(X₁,X₂,…)=?(Er|X|) a.s. whenever Er|X|<∞ and EX=0. We prove the converse result, namely that lim supn→∞gn(X₁,X₂,…)<∞ a.s. implies Er|X|<∞ (and EX=0 if, in addition, lim supn→∞gn(c,c,…)=∞ for all c≠0). Some applications are provided to illustrate this result.