A variational method for multivalued boundary value problems (Q2303090)

The paper is concerned with a potential system \[-\left [\phi (u') \right ]' +\varepsilon \phi (u) = \nabla_u F(t,u) \quad \mbox{ in } (0,T), \] subject to a boundary condition of type \[\left ( \phi(u'(0)), -\phi(u'(T))\right ) \in \partial j (u(0), u(T)),\] where \(\phi: \mathbb{R}^N \to \mathbb{R}^N\) is a monotone homeomorphism with a particular structure -- including the vector \(p\)-Laplacian \(\phi_p\), and \(j:\mathbb{R}^N \times \mathbb{R}^N \to (-\infty, +\infty]\) is a convex, lower semicontinuous function. Using the approach introduced by \textit{G. Moroşanu} and the reviewer [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 313, No. 2, 738--753 (2006; Zbl 1105.34008)] for the \(\phi_p\) case, the authors obtain the existence of solutions when the corresponding energy functional is coercive.