On nonlinear variational inequalities (Q5906608)

The aim of this paper is to consider in a fairly generalized setting the variational inequality \[ u\in K,\;\langle T(u), v-u\rangle+ j(v)- j(u)\geq \langle A(u), v- u\rangle\text{ for all } v\in K\subset X.\tag{1} \] The existence theory for (1) is well-established for the case in which \(X\) is a reflexive Banach space, \(K\) is a closed convex subset of \(X\), \(j\) is convex lower semicontinuous and proper, \(A(u)= f\), and \(T\) is monotone, for example. The aim of this paper is to consider the more general problem with right-hand side involving the nonlinear operator \(A\), and in which \(X\) is either a reflexive Banach space or a topological vector space. Two main results are established. First, for \(T\) and \(A\) hemicontinuous, and respectively monotone and antimonotone, and with \(j\) having the properties referred to above, it is shown that (1) has a solution for the case in which \(K\) is bounded, closed, convex, and nonempty. Uniqueness also follows if the monotonicity and antimonotonicity properties are strict. The proof of this result exploits the notion of a KKM mapping, due to K. Fan. No result is proved for the important case in which \(K\) is unbounded. The second result applies to the case in which \(X\) is a locally convex space. Here it is assumed that \(K\) is closed, convex, and nonempty, and that there exists a compact convex set \(D\) in \(X\) such that \(\langle T(u), 0\rangle\geq \langle A(u), 0\rangle\) for every \(u\in D\); then if \(j\) has the same properties as before, it is shown that there exists \(u_ 0\in D\) which solves (1).