Smoothness and asymptotics of global positive branches of \(\Delta{} u+ \lambda{} f(u)=0\) (Q1185476)

The nonlinear elliptic eigenvalue problem \(-\Delta u=\lambda f(u)\) in \(G\), \(u=0\) on \(\partial G\), where \(G\) is a rectangle in the plane \(\mathbb{R}^ 2\), \(f: \mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}\) is an odd map satisfying \(f(0)=0\), \(f\in C^ 2\) and \(f'(u)>0\) for \(u\geq 0\), and \(\lambda\) is a real parameter, is studied. Since \(G\) is not smooth --- it has corners --- some results holding for smooth domains are not true or need a different proof. By a celebrated theorem due to P. Rabinowitz, there is a continuum \(C^ +\) of nontrivial positive solutions bifurcating from the first eigenvalue of the linearized problem \(-\Delta w=\lambda f'(0)w\) in \(G\), \(w=0\) on \(\partial G\). It is proved here that if moreover \(f\) is \(C^ k\) (\(k\geq 2\)), strictly convex and satisfies some additional assumptions concerning nodal lines of some eigenfunctions, then \(C^ +\) is actually a \(C^{k-1}\) curve which can be parametrized by \(\lambda\). The proof is carried out by working in spaces of Hölder continuous functions enjoying symmetry properties. It is also shown that secondary bifurcations are symmetry breaking bifurcations. The final part of the paper studies the case of \(f\) behaving exponentially, as e.g. \(f(u)=\sinh u\), and it is shown that the asymptotic behavior of the branch is such that if \(u\) is a solution, \(\max u\leq c_ 1-c_ 2\lambda\), where \(c_ 1,c_ 2>0\).