Radial solutions of equations and inequalities involving the \(p\)-Laplacian (Q1362910)

The authors consider several problems for the differential equation \[ L^\alpha_p u=g(r,u), \] with \(L_p^\alpha u= r^{-\alpha} (r^\alpha |u'|^{p-2} u')'\). For \(\alpha =N-1\), the operator \(L^\alpha_p\) is radially symmetric \(p\)-Laplacian in \(\mathbb{R}^N\). For the initial value problem with given data \(u(r_0)= u_0\), \(u'(r_0)= u_0'\), various uniqueness conditions and counterexamples to uniqueness are given. For the case where \(g\) is increasing in \(u\), a sharp comparison theorem is established; it leads to maximal solutions, nonuniqueness and uniqueness results, among others. Using these results, a strong comparison principle for the boundary value problem and a number of properties of blow-up solutions \((u(r)\to \infty\) as \(r\to R)\) are proved under weak assumptions on the nonlinearity \(g(r,u)\).