Existence and nonexistence of sign-changing solutions for singular superlinear equations on exterior domains (Q6086442)

Being interested in the existence of a radial solution to the problem \[ \begin{aligned} \Delta u+ K(|x|)f(u)=0 \text{ on }\mathbb{R}^N\setminus B_R, \\ u=0 \text{ on }\partial B_R, \quad u\to 0 \text{ as } |x|\to\infty, \end{aligned} \] where \(N>2\) and \(B_R\) is the ball of radius \(R>0\) centered at the origin, the author investigates the solvability of the problem \[ u''+\frac{N-1}{r}u'+K(r)f(u)=0 \text{ for } R<r<\infty,\tag{1} \] \[ u(R)=0, \quad \lim_{r\to\infty}u(r)=0,\tag{2} \] where \(f:\mathbb{R}\setminus \{0\}\to \mathbb{R}\) is odd and locally Lipschitz, and \(K>0\) and \(K'\) are continuous on \([R,\infty)\). It is assumed that for \(p>1\) \[ f(u)=|u|^{p-1}u+g(u) \text{ for large } |u| \text{ and } \lim_{u\to\infty}\frac{|g(u)|}{|u|^p}=0, \] there is a continuous function \(g_1:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}\) such that for \(q\in(0,1)\) \[ f(u)=-\frac{1}{|u|^{q-1}u}+g_1(u) \text{ for small } |u| \text{ and } g_1(0)=0, \] \[ f \text{ has a unique zero } \beta>0 \text{ such that } f<0 \text{ on }(0,\beta) \text{ and } f>0 \text{ on }(\beta,\infty), \] \[ \frac{rK'}{K}>-2(N-1)\text{ and there are positive } K_0,K_1 \text{ such that } \frac{K_0}{r^\alpha}<K<\frac{K_1}{r^{\alpha_1}} \] on \([R,\infty)\), where \(\alpha\geq\alpha_1>N+q(N-2)\). The following result is obtained under these assumptions: ``If \(R>0,\) then there exist an infinite number of \(C^1[R,\infty)\) solutions \(u_n\) of (1), (2) such that \(u_n\) has exactly \(n\) zeros on \((R,\infty)\). If \(R>0\) is sufficiently large, then there is a solution with \(n\) zeros on \((R,\infty)\) for all nonnegative integers \(n\). If \(R>0\) is sufficiently small, then there is an \(n_0>0\) such that there is a solution with zeros on \((R,\infty)\) for all \(n\geq n_0\).'' Nonexistence results are also given.