Nonuniform nonresonance of semilinear differential equations (Q1582636)

Consider the Dirichlet problem \[ (\phi_p(x'))'+f(t,x)=0,\quad x(0)=0=x(T), \tag{1} \] with \(\phi_p(u)=|u|^{p-2}u\), \(1<p<\infty\), and assume \[ a(t)\leq\liminf_{|u|\to\infty}\frac{f(t,u)}{\phi_p(u)} \leq\limsup_{|u|\to\infty}\frac{f(t,u)}{\phi_p(u)}\leq b(t). \tag{2} \] The existence of solutions to (1) is obtained from conditions on the eigenvalues of the problem \[ (\phi_p(x'))'+\lambda w(t)\phi_p(x)=0,\quad x(0)=0=x(T), \tag{3} \] with \(w=a\) and \(w=b\). It is first proved that for positive weights \(w\), the problem (3) has a sequence of eigenvalues \(0<\lambda_1(w)<\ldots<\lambda_k(w)<\ldots\) which depend monotonically on the weight. The existence of a solution to \[ (\phi_p(x'))'+g(x)x'+f(t,x)=0,\quad x(0)=0=x(T), \] is obtained assuming \[ \limsup_{|u|\to\infty}\frac{f(t,u)}{\phi_p(u)}\leq b(t), \] where \(b\in L^1(0,T)\) is positive and \(\lambda_1(b)>1\). Similarly, the existence of a solution to (1) follows assuming (2), where \(a\) and \(b\geq a\) are positive and for some \(k\geq 2\), \(\lambda_{k-1}(a)<1<\lambda_k(b)\). These results are based on degree arguments. In a last section, best Sobolev constants are obtained which imply estimates on the first eigenvalue of (3). These are used in examples.