Uniqueness of positive radial solutions of \(\Delta u+f(u)=0\) in \({\mathbb{R}}^ n\) (Q1117397)

\textit{B. Gidas}, \textit{W. M. Ni} and \textit{L. Nirenberg} [Commun. Math. Phys. 68, 209-243 (1979; Zbl 0425.35020)] in the study of positive classical solutions of the problem \[ (1)\quad \Delta u+f(u)=0\quad in\quad R^ n;\quad u(x)\to 0\quad as\quad | x| \to +\infty \] proved that any positive solution of (1) must be radial with respect to some origin of coordinates, at least if f is of class \(C^{1+\lambda}\) on some interval \([0,\gamma),\gamma >0\). Therefore, solutions of (1) can be seen as solutions of the problem \[ u''(r)+((n- 1)/r)u'(r)+f(u(r))=0,\quad r>0 \] \[ u'(0)=0,\quad u(r)\to 0\quad as\quad r\to +\infty,\quad u(r)>0\quad for\quad r\geq 0 \] where r is the radial variable and n the dimension. In the present paper the authors study the uniqueness of smooth solutions \((u\in C^ 1[0,+\infty)\cap C^ 2(0,+\infty))\) under the following assumptions on f: (i) \(f\in C^ 1[0,+\infty)\); \(f(0)=0\), \(f'(0)=-m<0\). (ii) There exists a constant \(\alpha >0\) such that \(f(u)<0\) for \(u\in (0,\alpha)\), \(f(u)>0\) for \(u\in (\alpha,+\infty)\). (iii) \(f'(\alpha)>0.\) Moreover, some examples are discussed in detail. Their methods apply also to the study of positive radial solutions of the Dirichlet problem \[ \Delta u+f(u)=0\quad in\quad B(0,R);\quad u=0\quad on\quad \partial B(0,R) \] and the exterior Neumann problem \(\Delta u+f(u)=0\) in \(| x| >R\); \(\partial u/\partial n=0\), \(| x| =R\), \(u\to 0\) as \(| x| \to +\infty\).