No label defined (Q4938969)

This is a survey of the study of the initial value problem for the nonlinear wave equation \(u_{tt}-\Delta u+ f(u)= 0\) in \(\mathbb{R}^n\times \mathbb{R}\). It is stated that in the case \(n\geq 3\) if \(f\) is ``repulsive'' or ``coercive'' in the sense that \(f(u)u\geq -C|u|^2\) a global weak solution exists for initial values with finite energy. It is also described that a unique global, smooth solution exists both in the subcritical case \(f(u)\sim u|u|^{p- 2}\) as \(|u|\to\infty\), \(p< 2^*= 2n/(n- 2)\), and the critical case \(f(u)=u|u|^{2^*- 2}\) for large \(|u|\). The paper concludes with some open questions. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0927.00031].