The effect of a singular term in a quadratic quasi-linear problem (Q523359)

The singular quasi-linear elliptic problem \(-\Delta u=\lambda u+ \mu(x)|\nabla u|^2/u+ f(x)\) in \(\Omega\), \(u= 0\) on \(\partial\Omega\), where \(\Omega\) is an open bounded domain in \(\mathbb{R}^N\) \((N\geq 3)\), \(f\geq 0\), \(f\in L^m(\Omega)\), \(m>1\), \(0\leq \mu(x)\in L^\infty(\Omega)\), is studied in this paper. If \(1<m<N/2\) and \(\| \mu\|_{L^\infty}\leq N(m-1)/(N-2m)\), then for any \(\lambda<\lambda_1/(1+\| \mu\|_{L^\infty})\) there exists a solution \(u\) in \(W^{1,1}_{\text{loc}}(\Omega)\) such that \(u^b\in H^1_0(\Omega)\) for some bounded interval of \(b\)'s, \(b>0\). As a corollary it is proved that if \(m\geq N/2\) then there exists a solution with \(u^b\) in \(H^1(\Omega)\) for any \(b>0\) large enough, and if \(m<N/2\), then \(u\in L^\infty(\Omega)\). Proofs are obtained by using an approximation method with non-singular problems in reference [\textit{D. Arcoya} et al., J. Differ. Equations 249, No. 11, 2771--2795 (2010; Zbl 1203.35103)]. Actually a more general problem is treated. If \(\mu= B>1\), then a unique solution exists if and only if \(\lambda<\lambda_1/(1+B)\) and the solution set is a continuum bifurcating at infinity at \(\lambda=\lambda_1/(1+B)\).