Existence, nonexistence and uniqueness of positive solutions for nonlinear eigenvalue problems

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July 2017, 16(4): 1169-1188. doi: 10.3934/cpaa.2017057

Existence, nonexistence and uniqueness of positive solutions for nonlinear eigenvalue problems

Gabriele Bonanno ^1, , Pasquale Candito ^2, , Roberto Livrea ^2,, and Nikolaos S. Papageorgiou ^3,

1.	Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Messina, 98166, Italy
2.	Department DICEAM, University of Reggio Calabria, Reggio Calabria, 89122, Italy
3.	Department of Mathematics, National Technical University, Zografou Campus, Athens 15780, Greece

^* Corresponding author: P. Candito

Received May 2016 Revised February 2017 Published April 2017

Fund Project: The authors have been supported by the Gruppo Nazionale per l'Analisi Matematica, la Probabilità e le loro Applicazioni (GNAMPA) of the Istituto Nazionale di Alta Matematica (INdAM)

We study the existence of positive solutions for perturbations of the classical eigenvalue problem for the Dirichlet $p-$Laplacian. We consider three cases. In the first the perturbation is $(p-1)-$sublinear near $+\infty$, while in the second the perturbation is $(p-1)-$superlinear near $+\infty$ and in the third we do not require asymptotic condition at $+\infty$. Using variational methods together with truncation and comparison techniques, we show that for $\lambda\in (0, \widehat{\lambda}_1)$ -$\lambda>0$ is the parameter and $\widehat{\lambda}_1$ being the principal eigenvalue of $\left(-\Delta_p, W^{1, p}_0(\Omega)\right)$ -we have positive solutions, while for $\lambda\geq \widehat{\lambda}_1$, no positive solutions exist. In the "sublinear case" the positive solution is unique under a suitable monotonicity condition, while in the "superlinear case" we produce the existence of a smallest positive solution. Finally, we point out an existence result of a positive solution without requiring asymptotic condition at $+\infty$, provided that the perturbation is damped by a parameter.

Keywords: p-Laplacian, first eigenvalue, generalized Picone's identity, nonlinear regularity, nonlinear maximum principle, variational methods.

Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary: 35J25; Secondary: 35J80.

Citation: Gabriele Bonanno, Pasquale Candito, Roberto Livrea, Nikolaos S. Papageorgiou. Existence, nonexistence and uniqueness of positive solutions for nonlinear eigenvalue problems. Communications on Pure & Applied Analysis, 2017, 16 (4) : 1169-1188. doi: 10.3934/cpaa.2017057

References:

[1]	S. Aizicovici, N. Papageorgiou and V. Staicu, Degree theory for operators of monotone type and nonlinear elliptic equations with inequality constraints, Mem. Amer. Math. Soc. , 196 (2008). doi: 10.1090/memo/0915.
[2]	S. Aizicovici, N. Papageorgiou and V. Staicu, On p-superlinear equations with a nonhomogeneous differential operator, NoDEA Nonlinear Differential Equations Appl., 20 (2013), 151-175. doi: 10.1007/s00030-012-0187-9.
[3]	W. Allegretto and Y. X. Huang, A Picone's identity for the p-Laplacian and applications, Nonlinear Anal., 32 (1998), 819-830. doi: 10.1016/S0362-546X(97)00530-0.
[4]	A. Ambrosetti, H. Brezis and G. Cerami, Combined effects of concave and convex nonlinearities in some elliptic problems, J. Funct. Anal., 122 (1994), 519-543. doi: 10.1006/jfan.1994.1078.
[5]	A. Ambrosetti and P. H. Rabinowitz, Dual variational methods in critical point theory and applications, J. Funct. Anal., 14 (1973), 349-381.
[6]	D. Arcoya and D. Ruiz, The Ambrosetti-Prodi problem for the p-Laplacian operator, Comm. Partial Differential Equations, 31 (2006), 849-865. doi: 10.1080/03605300500394447.
[7]	G. Bonanno, A critical point theorem via the Ekeland variational principle, Nonlinear Anal., 75 (2012), 2992-3007. doi: 10.1016/j.na.2011.12.003.
[8]	G. Bonanno, Relations between the mountain pass theorem and local minima, Adv. Nonlinear Anal., 1 (2012), 205-220. doi: 10.1515/anona-2012-0003.
[9]	G. Bonanno and R. Livrea, Existence and multiplicity of periodic solutions for second order Hamiltonian systems depending on a parameter, J. Convex Anal., 20 (2013), 1075-1094.
[10]	P. Candito, G. D'Aguí and N. S. Papageorgiou, Nonlinear noncoercive Neumann problems with a reaction concave near the origin, Topol. Methods Nonlinear Anal., 46 (2016), 289-317.
[11]	D. Costa and C. Magalhaes, Existence results for perturbations of the p-Laplacian, Nonlinear Anal., 24 (1995), 409-418. doi: 10.1016/0362-546X(94)E0046-J.
[12]	J. I. Diaz and J. E. Saá, Existence et unicité de solutions positives pour certaines équations elliptiques quasilinéaires, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris SÃ©r. I Math., 305 (1987), 521-524.
[13]	N. Dunford and J. Schwartz, Linear Operators, Wiles-Interscience, New York, 1958.
[14]	G. Fei, On periodic solutions of superquadratic Hamiltonian systems, Electron. J. Differential Equations, 8 (2002), 1-12.
[15]	M. Filippakis, A. Kristály and N. S. Papageorgiou, Existence of five nonzero solutions with exact sign for a p-Laplacian equation, Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst., 24 (2009), 405-440. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2009.24.405.
[16]	J. Garc′ıa Azorero, I. Peral Alonso and J. Manfredi, Sobolev versus Hölder local minimizers and global multiplicity for some quasilinear elliptic equations, Commun. Contemp. Math., 2 (2000), 385-404. doi: 10.1142/S0219199700000190.
[17]	Z. M. Guo and Z. T. Zhang, W^1,p versus C¹ local minimizers and multiplicity results for quasilinear elliptic equations, J. Math. Anal. Appl., 286 (2003), 32-50. doi: 10.1016/S0022-247X(03)00282-8.
[18]	Hu Shouchuan and N. S. Papageorgiou, Multiplicity of solutions for parametric p-Laplacian equations with nonlinearity concave near the origin, Tohoku Math. J. (2), 62 (2010), 137-162. doi: 10.2748/tmj/1270041030.
[19]	Hu Shouchuan and N. S. Papageorgiou, Nonlinear Neumann equations driven by a nonhomogeneous differential operator, Commun. Pure Appl. Anal., 10 (2011), 1055-1078. doi: 10.3934/cpaa.2011.10.1055.
[20]	S. Li, S. Wu and H. S. Zhou, Solutions to semilinear elliptic problems with combined nonlinearities, J. Differential Equations, 185 (2002), 200-224. doi: 10.1006/jdeq.2001.4167.
[21]	S. A. Marano and N. S. Papageorgiou, Positive solutions to a Dirichlet problem with pLaplacian and concave-convex nonlinearity depending on a parameter, Commun. Pure Appl. Anal., 12 (2013), 815-829. doi: 10.3934/cpaa.2013.12.815.
[22]	S. A. Marano and N. S. Papageorgiou, Multiple solutions to a Dirichlet problem with pLaplacian and nonlinearity depending on a parameter, Adv. Nonlinear Anal., 1 (2012), 257-275. doi: 10.1515/anona-2012-0005.
[23]	S. A. Marano and N. S. Papageorgiou, Constant-sign and nodal solutions of coercive (p. q)-Laplacian problems, Nonlinear Anal., 77 (2013), 118-129. doi: 10.1016/j.na.2012.09.007.
[24]	N. S. Papageorgiou and S. Kyritsi, Handbook of Applied Analysis, Advances in Mechanics and Mathematics, Springer, New York, 2009. doi: 10.1007/b120946.
[25]	G. Talenti, Best constant in Sobolev inequality, Ann. Mat. Pura Appl., 110 (1976), 353-372. doi: 10.1007/BF02418013.
[26]	J. L. Vázquez, A strong maximum principle for some quasilinear elliptic equations, Appl. Math. Optim., 12 (1984), 191-202. doi: 10.1007/BF01449041.

show all references

References:

[1]	S. Aizicovici, N. Papageorgiou and V. Staicu, Degree theory for operators of monotone type and nonlinear elliptic equations with inequality constraints, Mem. Amer. Math. Soc. , 196 (2008). doi: 10.1090/memo/0915.
[2]	S. Aizicovici, N. Papageorgiou and V. Staicu, On p-superlinear equations with a nonhomogeneous differential operator, NoDEA Nonlinear Differential Equations Appl., 20 (2013), 151-175. doi: 10.1007/s00030-012-0187-9.
[3]	W. Allegretto and Y. X. Huang, A Picone's identity for the p-Laplacian and applications, Nonlinear Anal., 32 (1998), 819-830. doi: 10.1016/S0362-546X(97)00530-0.
[4]	A. Ambrosetti, H. Brezis and G. Cerami, Combined effects of concave and convex nonlinearities in some elliptic problems, J. Funct. Anal., 122 (1994), 519-543. doi: 10.1006/jfan.1994.1078.
[5]	A. Ambrosetti and P. H. Rabinowitz, Dual variational methods in critical point theory and applications, J. Funct. Anal., 14 (1973), 349-381.
[6]	D. Arcoya and D. Ruiz, The Ambrosetti-Prodi problem for the p-Laplacian operator, Comm. Partial Differential Equations, 31 (2006), 849-865. doi: 10.1080/03605300500394447.
[7]	G. Bonanno, A critical point theorem via the Ekeland variational principle, Nonlinear Anal., 75 (2012), 2992-3007. doi: 10.1016/j.na.2011.12.003.
[8]	G. Bonanno, Relations between the mountain pass theorem and local minima, Adv. Nonlinear Anal., 1 (2012), 205-220. doi: 10.1515/anona-2012-0003.
[9]	G. Bonanno and R. Livrea, Existence and multiplicity of periodic solutions for second order Hamiltonian systems depending on a parameter, J. Convex Anal., 20 (2013), 1075-1094.
[10]	P. Candito, G. D'Aguí and N. S. Papageorgiou, Nonlinear noncoercive Neumann problems with a reaction concave near the origin, Topol. Methods Nonlinear Anal., 46 (2016), 289-317.
[11]	D. Costa and C. Magalhaes, Existence results for perturbations of the p-Laplacian, Nonlinear Anal., 24 (1995), 409-418. doi: 10.1016/0362-546X(94)E0046-J.
[12]	J. I. Diaz and J. E. Saá, Existence et unicité de solutions positives pour certaines équations elliptiques quasilinéaires, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris SÃ©r. I Math., 305 (1987), 521-524.
[13]	N. Dunford and J. Schwartz, Linear Operators, Wiles-Interscience, New York, 1958.
[14]	G. Fei, On periodic solutions of superquadratic Hamiltonian systems, Electron. J. Differential Equations, 8 (2002), 1-12.
[15]	M. Filippakis, A. Kristály and N. S. Papageorgiou, Existence of five nonzero solutions with exact sign for a p-Laplacian equation, Discrete Contin. Dyn. Syst., 24 (2009), 405-440. doi: 10.3934/dcds.2009.24.405.
[16]	J. Garc′ıa Azorero, I. Peral Alonso and J. Manfredi, Sobolev versus Hölder local minimizers and global multiplicity for some quasilinear elliptic equations, Commun. Contemp. Math., 2 (2000), 385-404. doi: 10.1142/S0219199700000190.
[17]	Z. M. Guo and Z. T. Zhang, W^1,p versus C¹ local minimizers and multiplicity results for quasilinear elliptic equations, J. Math. Anal. Appl., 286 (2003), 32-50. doi: 10.1016/S0022-247X(03)00282-8.
[18]	Hu Shouchuan and N. S. Papageorgiou, Multiplicity of solutions for parametric p-Laplacian equations with nonlinearity concave near the origin, Tohoku Math. J. (2), 62 (2010), 137-162. doi: 10.2748/tmj/1270041030.
[19]	Hu Shouchuan and N. S. Papageorgiou, Nonlinear Neumann equations driven by a nonhomogeneous differential operator, Commun. Pure Appl. Anal., 10 (2011), 1055-1078. doi: 10.3934/cpaa.2011.10.1055.
[20]	S. Li, S. Wu and H. S. Zhou, Solutions to semilinear elliptic problems with combined nonlinearities, J. Differential Equations, 185 (2002), 200-224. doi: 10.1006/jdeq.2001.4167.
[21]	S. A. Marano and N. S. Papageorgiou, Positive solutions to a Dirichlet problem with pLaplacian and concave-convex nonlinearity depending on a parameter, Commun. Pure Appl. Anal., 12 (2013), 815-829. doi: 10.3934/cpaa.2013.12.815.
[22]	S. A. Marano and N. S. Papageorgiou, Multiple solutions to a Dirichlet problem with pLaplacian and nonlinearity depending on a parameter, Adv. Nonlinear Anal., 1 (2012), 257-275. doi: 10.1515/anona-2012-0005.
[23]	S. A. Marano and N. S. Papageorgiou, Constant-sign and nodal solutions of coercive (p. q)-Laplacian problems, Nonlinear Anal., 77 (2013), 118-129. doi: 10.1016/j.na.2012.09.007.
[24]	N. S. Papageorgiou and S. Kyritsi, Handbook of Applied Analysis, Advances in Mechanics and Mathematics, Springer, New York, 2009. doi: 10.1007/b120946.
[25]	G. Talenti, Best constant in Sobolev inequality, Ann. Mat. Pura Appl., 110 (1976), 353-372. doi: 10.1007/BF02418013.
[26]	J. L. Vázquez, A strong maximum principle for some quasilinear elliptic equations, Appl. Math. Optim., 12 (1984), 191-202. doi: 10.1007/BF01449041.

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