Single and multitransition solutions for a family of semilinear elliptic PDE's (Q640709)

This article surveys a class of partial differential equations whose study was initiated by \textit{J. Moser} [Ann. Inst. Henri Poincaré, Anal. Non Linéaire 3, 229--272 (1986; Zbl 0609.49029); Lect. Notes Math. 1365, 62--99 (1989; Zbl 0689.49036)] in the late 1980's. This class includes various Allen-Cahn models of phase transitions. In line with this connection, the existence of a large variety of solutions which undergo spatial transitions is established. The main tools are variational arguments, especially minimization methods. Complete proofs are not given although the author generally gives some ideas of the ingredients to go into them. Concerning Moser's results, existence of solutions of PDE on \(T^n\) is described, i. e. 1-periodic solutions in \(x_1,x_2,\dots,x_n. \) Single transition (heterociclic) solutions of PDEs on \(R^n\times T^{n-1} \) are discussed. Then, a direct minimization approach to those heterociclics, due to the author and \textit{E. W. Stredulinsky} [Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 56, No. 8, 1078--1134 (2003; Zbl 1274.35122); Calc. Var. Partial Differ. Equ. 21, No. 2, 157--207 (2004; Zbl 1161.35397)], is given. Multiple transition solutions as local minima of the renormalized functional are presented and a brief look of other kind of solutions of PDE is given, such as those of mountain pass type and hybrid solutions that are a mixture of mountain pass and minimal heterociclics.