Existence of periodic solutions for \(p(t)\)-Laplacian systems (Q2518126)

Consider the \(p(t)\)-Laplacian system \[ \begin{aligned} (|u'(t)|^{p(t)-2}u'(t))'+\nabla F(t,u(t))&=0,\\ u(0)-u(T)=u'(0)-u'(T)&=0, \end{aligned}\tag{p} \] where \(p(t)\in C([0,T],\mathbb R^1)\), \(T>0\), \(F:[0,T]\times\mathbb R^N\to\mathbb R^1\), \(\nabla F(t,x)=\frac{\partial F(t,x)}{\partial x}\) for \(t\in\mathbb R^1\) and \(x\in\mathbb R^N\). In this paper, by using minimax methods in critical point theory, the authors obtained some existence theorems for periodic solutions of the \(p(t)\)-Laplacian system (p). The main results are the following. Theorem 4.1. Suppose that \(F\) satisfies the following conditions {\parindent=9mm \begin{itemize}\item[(A] \(F(t,x)=F(t+T,x)\), \(\nabla F(t,x)\) is continuous for each \(t \in [0,T]\) and \(x\in\mathbb R^N\), \(F(0,0)=0\), \(\int^T_0F(t,x)\,dt\geq 0\) for all \(x\in\mathbb R^N\), \item[(A] there exist \(\beta>p^+\) and \(r_1>0\) such that \((\nabla F(t,x),x)\geq \beta F(t,x)\) for \(|x|\geq r_1,\) where \((\cdot,\cdot)\) is the usual inner product of \(\mathbb R^N\) and \(p^+=\max_{t\in[0,T]}p(t)\), \item[(A] there exist \(\mu>p^+\) and \(g\in C([0,T],\mathbb R^1)\) such that \(\limsup_{|x|\to 0}\frac{|F(t,x)|}{|x|^\mu}\leq|g(t)|\), \item[(A] \(p(t)\in C([0,T],\mathbb R^1)\), \(p^-=\min_{t\in[0,T]}p(t)>1\) and \(p(t)=p(t+T)\) for all \(t\in\mathbb R^1\). \end{itemize}} Then system (p) has at least one periodic solution. Theorem 4.2. Suppose that \(F\) satisfies (A\(_1)\)--(A\(_4\)) and \(F(t,x)=F(t,-x)\) for all \(t\in\mathbb R^1,x\in\mathbb R^N.\) Then system (p) has infinite many periodic solutions. Theorem 4.3. Suppose that \(F\) satisfies the following conditions {\parindent=9mm \begin{itemize}\item[(B] \(F(t,x)=F(t+T,x)\), \(\nabla F(t,x)\) is continuous for each \(t\in [0,T]\) and \(x\in\mathbb R^N,\) \item[(B] there exist \(\eta\in (0,p^-)\) and \(r_2>0\) such that \((\nabla F(t,x),x)\leq \eta F(t,x)\) for \(|x|\geq r_2,\) where \((\cdot,\cdot)\) is the usual inner product of \(\mathbb R^N,\) \item[(B] \( \int_0^TF(t,x)\,dt\to\infty\) as \(|x|\to\infty\), \item[(B] \(p(t)\in C([0,T],\mathbb R^1)\), \(p^-=\min_{t\in[0,T]}p(t)>1\) and \(p(t)\) is \(T\)-periodic. \end{itemize}} Then system (p) has at least one periodic solution. In some case, Theorem 4.3 generalizes the results in [\textit{B. Xu} and \textit{C.-L. Tang}, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 333, No. 2, 1228-1236 (2007; Zbl 1154.34331)].