Multiplicity results for a semilinear elliptic problem with crossing of multiple eigenvalues (Q809270)

The author studies the semilinear Dirichlet problem \[ (*)\quad -\Delta u=f(u)+h\text{ in } \Omega,\quad u=0\text{ on } \partial \Omega, \] where f: \({\mathbb{R}}\to {\mathbb{R}}\) satisfies \(\lim_{s\to -\infty}(f(s)/s)=\beta\), \(\lim_{s\to \infty}(f(s)/s)=\alpha.\) Let \(\lambda\) be a multiple Dirichlet eigenvalue of \(-\Delta\) and V in \(H^ 1_ 0\) the corresponding eigenspace. The author's main result reads as follows: Let \(\alpha= \lambda+\epsilon\), \(\beta= \lambda-\epsilon\), \(\epsilon >0\) sufficiently small, \(\dim V\) be even, and let V satisfy a technical condition, which seems to be quite hard to verify in practice. Then there are functions \(h,\tilde h\in L^ 2(\Omega)\) such that (*) has at least four solutions for h and no solution for \(\tilde h.\) The method of proof is based on topological degree theory.