Positive solutions of quasilinear elliptic equations (Q5921706)

The author studies the existence of radially symmetric solutions of the problem \[ -\Delta_p \varphi = \lambda\varphi^q - | \nabla\varphi| ^s \quad\text{in}\quad B, \qquad \varphi > 0 \quad\text{in}\quad B, \qquad \varphi = 0 \quad\text{on}\quad \partial B, \tag \(*\) \] where \(\Delta_p\varphi = \text{div}(| \nabla\varphi| ^{p-2}\nabla\varphi)\), \(p>1\), \(q\geq 1\), \(s\geq p-1\), \(\lambda>0\), and \(B=\{x\in{\mathbb R}^n:| x| <R\}\). The assumption of radial symmetry is justified in view of well known results on the radial symmetry of solutions of \((*)\) in the case \(p=2\), proved by \textit{B.~Gidas, W.-M.~Ni}, and \textit{L.~Nirenberg} [Commun. Math. Phys. 68, 209--243 (1979; Zbl 0425.35020)], and for a similar problem with arbitrary \(p>1\) but without the gradient term by \textit{E.~Mitidieri} and \textit{G.~Caristi} [Adv. Differ. Equ. 2, 319--359 (1997; Zbl 1023.34500)]. The case \(p=2\) was studied by \textit{M.~Chipot} and \textit{F. B.~Weissler} [SIAM J. Math. Anal. 20, 886--907 (1989; Zbl 0682.35010)] using the shooting method and rescaling. Here the author shows that these methods can be generalized directly to \((*)\) with \(1<p\leq 2\). As in the case \(p=2\), the critical Sobolev exponent \(np/(n-p)-1\) and the self-similarity exponent \( `pq/(q+1)\) distinguish the different results that are obtained. The main result states that if \(1<p\leq 2\), \(q>1\), \(p-1\leq s < pq/(q+1)\), \(\lambda>0\), and \(q<np/(n-p)-1\) (if \(n>p\)), then \((*)\) has a solution \(\varphi\in C^2(B)\). Some results are also proved for the cases \(s=pq/(q+1)\) and \(s>pq/(q+1)\).