Ground states of semilinear elliptic problems with applications to the Allen-Cahn equation on the sphere (Q2113325)

The paper is concerned with semilinear elliptic equations \(\Delta u - F'(u) = 0\) in \(\Omega\). Here \(\Omega\) is either a closed manifold with non-negative Ricci curvature, or a bounded and strictly convex smooth domain in \(\mathbb{R}^N\). In the latter case zero Neumann boundary conditions are considered. The potential \(F:\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{R}\) is a smooth Morse function with finitely many minima and maxima satisfying growth conditions on \(F'\). It is proved that ground states, defined here as unstable solutions with minimal energy among all unstable solutions, are of mountain pass type. In the case of a ball a ground state is foliated Schwarz symmetric, in the case of a sphere ground states are Schwarz symmetric. The authors consider in particular the Allen-Cahn equations \(\varepsilon^2\Delta u - W'(u) = 0\) with \(W\) the standard double well potential. They prove uniqueness up to rigid motions for the ground state on \(S^N\), and they study bifurcation at the energy level of the ground state as \(\varepsilon\to0\).