Non-even positive solutions of the one-dimensional \(p\)-Laplace Emden-Fowler equation (Q712627)

This paper deals with positive solutions of the BVP \[ (|u'|^{p-2} u')' + h(t) |u|^{q-2} u = 0\,, \quad u(-1) = u(1) = 0, \] on \([-1,1]\). Here, \(1 < p < q\), \(h \in L^\infty\), \(h(t) \geq 0\), even and not identically zero. It is known that this problem has an even positive solution of mountain-pass-type. In this paper, the existence of a positive non-even solution is proved (under suitable additional assumptions on \(h\)) by minimizing the Rayleigh quotient \[ R(u) := \left( \int_{-1}^1 |u'(t)|^p \: d t \right)^{1/p} \: \left( \int_{-1}^1 h(t)|u|^q \: d t \right)^{-1/q} \] on the Nehari manifold \[ N := \left\{ u \in W_0^{1, p}(-1,1) \setminus \{0\} \mid \int_{-1}^1 (|u'|^p - h(t) |u|^q) \: d t = 0\right\}. \] The additional assumptions mean that there is \(a \in (0, 1)\) close to \(1\) such that the density of \(h\) in \((0,a)\) is substantially smaller than that in \((a, 1)\). It then turns out that the minimum of \(R\) on \(N\) is strictly less than the analogous quantity formed with even functions only. Various special cases are derived. They include generalizations of earlier results for the one-dimensional Hénon equation \[ - u'' = |x|^\lambda u^p \] for positive \(u\) on an interval and vanishing on the boundary. They also include the Moore-Nehari equation \[ u'' + h(t) u^{q-1} = 0 \] with the same boundary conditions.