Branches of solutions to semilinear elliptic equations on \(\mathbb{R}^N\) (Q1297930)

The paper is concerned with the behaviour of branches of solutions to the semilinear elliptic eigenvalue problem \[ -\Delta u(x)+ f(x,u(x))=\lambda u(x)\quad\text{for }x\in\mathbb{R}^N, \] \[ \lim_{|x|\to \infty} u(x)= 0,\quad u\not\equiv 0, \] where \(f:\mathbb{R}^N\times \mathbb{R}\to \mathbb{R}\) is a mapping satisfying \(f(x,0)\equiv 0\) and appropriate smoothness and boundedness hypotheses sufficient to apply the degree theory for \(C^2\) proper Fredholm maps. Besides, the mapping \(f\) is assumed to satisfy that \[ \beta= \inf_{C\geq 0} \beta(C)>- \infty,\quad\text{where }\beta(C):= \lim_{R\to\infty} \inf_{|x|\geq R,|s|\leq C} \Biggl\{{f(x,s)\over s}\Biggr\}. \] Consider the set of nontrivial solutions \[ {\mathcal Z}= \{(\lambda, u)\in (-\infty, \beta)\times X\mid(\lambda, u)\text{ is a solution to }(1.1)\}, \] where \(X= W^{2,p}(\mathbb{R}^N)\) with some fixed value \(p\in (N/2,\infty)\cap (1,\infty)\), and introduce the linear Schrödinger operator in \(L^2(\mathbb{R}^N)\) defined by \[ Su= -\Delta u+\partial_2 f(\cdot,0)u\quad\text{for }u\in W^{2,2}(\mathbb{R}^N). \] For an eigenvalue \(\lambda_0\) of \(S\), let \(C_{\lambda_0}\) be the connected component of \({\mathcal Z}\cup\{(\lambda_0, 0)\}\) containing \((\lambda_0,0)\) under the inherited topology. Using these notations, it is proved that if there exists an eigenvalue \(\lambda_0\) of \(S\) with odd multiplicity such that \(\lambda_0< \beta\), then \(C_{\lambda_0}\) has at least one of the following properties: 1. \(C_{\lambda_0}\) is unbounded, 2. The closure of \(C_{\lambda_0}\) contains a point of the form \((\lambda^*,0)\) with \(\lambda^*\neq \lambda_0\), 3. \(\sup_{(\lambda,u)\in C_{\lambda_0}}\lambda= \beta\), and further that such \(\lambda_0\) exists if and only if \[ \inf\Biggl\{\int_{\mathbb{R}^N} |\nabla\psi|^2+|\partial_2f(\cdot, 0)\psi^2\mid \psi\in C^\infty_0(\mathbb{R}^N), \int_{\mathbb{R}^N} |\psi|^2= 1\Biggr\}< \beta. \]