Solutions of semilinear elliptic problems in shrinking annuli (Q914968)

The authors study positive, radially symmetric solutions of a semilinear Dirichlet problem on an annulus in \({\mathbb{R}}^ n\). The generalized Emden equation is one of the equations contained in the class of equations studied. The paper deals with the asymptotic behavior of the solutions as the inner radius of the annulus shrinks to zero. This asymptotic behavior is studied using phase plane analysis. An interesting case considered in this paper, occurs when the Dirichlet problem on the sphere has no non- trivial solutions. In this case the solution on the annulus with a shrinking inner radius exhibits a singular asymptotic behavior. The authors derive some asymptotic estimates. When the estimates involve unknown constants, the authors indicate how these constants may be computed numerically.