A further three critical points theorem (Q1029454)

This paper establishes a new three critical points theorem for the equation \[ \Phi'(x)=\lambda J'(x)+ \mu\Psi'(x) \] under specific hypotheses. If \(X\) is real Banach space, denote by \(\mathcal{W}_{X}\) the class of functionals \(\Phi:X\rightarrow\mathbb{R}\) possessing the following property: if \(\{u_n\}\) is a sequence in \(X\) converging weakly to \(u\in X\) and \(\liminf_{n\to\infty} \Phi(u_n)\leq \Phi(u)\), then \(\{u_n\}\) has a subsequence converging strongly to \(u\). The main result of the paper is as follows. Theorem 1. Let \(X\) be a separable and reflexive real Banach space; \(I\subseteq\mathbb R\) an interval; \(\Phi:X\to\mathbb R\) a sequentially weakly lower semicontinuous \(C^1\) functional from \({\mathcal W}_X,\) bounded on each bounded subset of \(X\) and whose derivative admits a continuous inverse on \(X^*\); \(J:X\to\mathbb R\) a \(C^1\) functional with compact derivative. Assume that, for each \(\lambda\in I\), the functional \(\Phi-\lambda J\) is coercive and has a strict local, not global minimum, say \(\widehat{x}_\lambda\). Then, for each compact interval \([a,b]\subseteq I\) for which \(\sup_{\lambda\in[a,b]} (\Phi(\widehat{x}_\lambda)- \lambda J(\widehat{x}_\lambda))< +\infty\), there exists \(r>0\) with the following property: for every \(\lambda\in[a,b]\) and every \(C^1\) functional \(\Psi :X\to\mathbb R\) with compact derivative, there exists \(\delta>0\) such that, for each \(\mu\in[0,\delta]\), the equation \[ \Phi'(x)= \lambda J'(x)+ \mu\Psi'(x) \] has at least three solutions whose norms are less than \(r\). Some applications of this result are also given.