On elliptic systems with Sobolev critical growth (Q514260)

Let \(\Omega\) be either a smooth bounded domain in \(\mathbb{R}^N\) or \(\Omega=\mathbb{R}^N\) (with \(N\geq 3\)). The authors consider the critical Dirichlet problem \[ -\Delta u=|u|^{2^*}u+\frac{\alpha}{2^*}|u|^{\alpha-2}|v|^\beta u,\text{ in }\Omega, \] \[ -\Delta v=|v|^{2^*}v+\frac{\beta}{2^*}|u|^\alpha|v|^{\beta-2} v,\text{ in }\Omega,\tag{P} \] \(u,v\in D_0^{1,2}(\Omega)\), where \(D_0^{1,2}(\Omega)\) is the completion of \(C_0^\infty(\Omega)\) with respect to the norm \[ \biggl(\int_{\Omega}|\nabla(\cdot)|^2dx\biggr)^{\frac{1}{2}}, \] \(\alpha,\beta>1\) with \(\alpha+\beta=2^*\), and \(2^*=\frac{2N}{N-2}\) is the Sobolev critical exponent. For \(\Omega=\mathbb{R}^N\), the authors find conditions on \(\beta,N\) under which problem \((P)\) admits a unique positive least energy solution \((u_0,v_0)\), which is of the synchronized form \((u_0,v_0)=(sU_{x_0,\varepsilon},tU_{x_0,\varepsilon})\), for some \(x_0\in \mathbb{R}^N\) and \(\varepsilon>0\), where \(s,t>0\) depend on \(\beta,N\) and \[ U_{x_0,\varepsilon}(x):=\big(N(N-2)\big)^{\frac{N-2}{4}}\big(1+\varepsilon^{-2}|x-x_0|^2\big)^{-\frac{N-2}{2}}, \] represents, on varying of \(x_0,\varepsilon\), the family of solutions of the critical problem \[ -\Delta u=|u|^{2^*-2}u,\quad u\in D_0^{1,2}(\mathbb{R}^N). \] The proof exploits the identity \[ \inf_{(u,v)\in \big[ D_0^{1,2}(\mathbb{R}^N\big)\big]^2\atop {(u,v)\neq(0,0)}}\frac{\int_{\mathbb{R}^N}(|\nabla u|^2+|\nabla v|^2)dx}{\Big(\int_{\mathbb{R}^N}(|u|^{2^*}+|v|^{2^*}+|u|^\alpha|v|^{\beta})dx\Big)^{\frac{2}{2^*}}}=\min_{\tau\geq 0}f(\tau)\inf_{u\in D_0^{1,2}(\mathbb{R}^N\big)\atop {u\neq 0}}\frac{\int_{\mathbb{R}^N}(|\nabla u|^2)dx}{\Big(\int_{\mathbb{R}^N}|u|^{2^*}\Big)^{\frac{2}{2^*}}} \] and the properties of the real function \(f(\tau):=(1+\tau^2)(1+\tau^\beta+\tau^2)^{-\frac{2}{2^*}}\), on varying of \(\beta\) and \(N\) . An exact multiplicity result of positive synchronized solutions is also derived from these properties. A further result concerns the non-degeneracy of the manifold of the positive synchronized solutions. Finally, for a bounded smooth domain \(\Omega\), the authors prove the existence of at least one positive solution for the problem \((P)\) under suitable conditions on \(\beta,N\) and assuming that \(\Omega\) has a sufficiently small hole. The proof of this last result is mainly based on a global compactness theorem which gives a description of Palais-Smale sequences.