Quasilinear scalar field equations with competing potentials (Q641026)

The existence or non existence of weak solutions of the quasilinear scalar field equation with competing nonlinearities \(-\triangle_pu+V(x)|u|^{p-2}u=a(x)|u|^{q-2}u-b(x)|u|^{s-2}u\), \(x\in \mathbb{R}^N\), is studied under weak structural conditions on \(V, a, b, p, q \) and \(s\). Specifically, the potentials need not be radial and may be unbounded or tending to zero at infinity. The proof is based on the one-dimensional fibering method (see the survey article of \textit{S. I. Pohozaev} [Handbook of Differential Equations, 49--209 (2008; Zbl 1184.35001)]) and on \(L^\sigma\)-embedding theorems for suitable weighted Sobolev spaces. In this way the relative impact of the functions \(V, a\) and \(b\) and the exponents \(p, q\) and \(s\) is studied in detail. Also, the existence of ground states or bound states is considered.