Multiple solutions for a Schrödinger type equation with an asymptotically linear term. (Q1413963)

The author considers the parameter dependent Schrödinger equation \[ -\Delta u+V_\lambda(x) u=f(u)\tag{1} \] in \(\mathbb R^n.\) The potential is of the form \(V_\lambda(x)=1+\lambda g(x)\) where \(g:\mathbb R^N\to[0,\infty)\) is continuous and \(\Omega=\text{{int}\,}g^{-1}(0)\) is nonempty with locally Lipschitz boundary \(\partial\Omega=\partial g^{-1}(0)\). Thus \(V_\lambda\) has a potential well and \(\lambda\) controls its steepness. \(\Omega\subset\mathbb R^n\) may be unbounded but a condition on \(g\) implies that the spectrum of \(-\Delta+1\) in \(H^1_0(\Omega)\) is a pure point spectrum: \(\sigma(-\Delta+1)=\{\nu_n:n\in\mathbb N\}\). The author considers a nonlinearity \(f\in{\mathcal{C}}(\mathbb R)\) which is odd, and asymptotically linear near \(0\) and \(\infty\), that is \(f(s)/s\to\zeta_a\) for \(s\to a\in\{0,\infty\}\). Let \(d_n\) denote the sum of the multiplicities of the eigenvalues \(\nu_1,\dots,\nu_n\). The main result states that (1) has at least \(| d_n-d_m| \) pairs of solutions for \(\lambda\) large enough if \(\zeta_0\in(\nu_m,\nu_{m+1})\) and \(\zeta_\infty\in(\nu_n,\nu_{n+1})\). The proof uses variational methods and ideas from a paper of \textit{A. Pankov}, \textit{Z.-Q. Wang} and \textit{the reviewer} [Commun. Contemp. Math. 3, No. 4, 549--569 (2001; Zbl 1076.35037)], and of \textit{the author} and \textit{Z.-Q. Wang} [Differ. Integral Equ. 16, 257--280 (2003; Zbl 1030.35067)].