Maximal entropy solutions under prescribed mass and energy (Q2304441)

The paper deals with non-local elliptic Liouville type problem \[ \Delta\psi_\lambda=\dfrac{\text{e}^{-\lambda\psi_\lambda}}{\int_\Omega \text{e}^{-\lambda\psi_\lambda}},\quad x\in\Omega,\quad \psi_\lambda(x)=0 ,\quad x\in \partial\Omega, \] in a smooth enough bounded domain \(\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^n\) and where \(\lambda\in\mathbb{R}\). Solutions \((\lambda,\psi_\lambda)\) are studied, which satisfy either \[ \text{(a)}\quad \lambda=\lambda_+(\gamma):=\dfrac{n/2}{\gamma+\int_\Omega |\nabla \psi_\lambda|^2/2}>0, \] or \[ \text{(b)}\quad \lambda=\lambda_-(\gamma):=\dfrac{n/2}{\int_\Omega |\nabla \psi_\lambda|^2/2-\gamma}<0, \] for a fixed \(\gamma\in\mathbb{R}.\) Existence of a unique solution is proved for any \(\gamma\in\mathbb{R}\) and any dimension \(n\geq1\) in the case (b) of electrostatic (repulsive) self-interaction. Although neither existence nor uniqueness are guaranteed unconditionally in the case (a) of gravitational (attractive) self-interaction, the authors get existence for any \(\gamma\in\mathbb{R}\) when \(n=2\). The uniqueness and qualitative behaviour of such solutions are further studied, depending on the sign of the difference \(\lambda-8\pi.\)