Multiplicity results for a family of semilinear elliptic problems under local superlinearity and sublinearity (Q2502554)

Summary: In this paper we study the existence, nonexistence and multiplicity of positive solutions for the family of problems \(-\Delta u=f_\lambda(x,u)\), \(u\in H^1_0(\Omega)\), where \(\Omega\) is a bounded domain in \(\mathbb R^N\), \(N\geq 3\) and \(\lambda>0\) is a parameter. The results include the well-known nonlinearities of the Ambrosetti-Brezis-Cerami type in a more general form, namely \(\lambda a(x)u^q+b(x)u^p\), where \(0\leq q<1<p\leq 2^*-1\). The coefficient \(a(x)\) is assumed to be nonnegative but \(b(x)\) is allowed to change sign, even in the critical case. The notions of local superlinearity and local sublinearity introduced in [\textit{D. G. de Figueiredo, J.-P. Gossez} and \textit{P. Ubilla}, J. Funct. Anal. 199, No. 2, 452--467 (2003; Zbl 1034.35042)] are essential in this more general framework. The techniques used in the proofs are lower and upper solutions and variational methods.