Variational methods for ordinary \(p\)-Laplacian systems with potential boundary conditions (Q955892)

The paper is devoted to the obtention of existence results for ordinary \(p\)-Laplacian systems of the form \[ (|u'|^{p-2}u')' = f(t,u) \quad in \quad [0,T], \] submitted to general boundary conditions of potential form \[ (|u'|^{p-2}u')(0), -(|u'|^{p-2}u')(T)) \in \partial j(u(0),u(T)), \] where \(p > 1\) and \(j : {\mathbb R}^N \times {\mathbb R}^N \to (-\infty,+\infty]\) is proper, convex and lower semicontinuous. The Carathéorory function \(f\) is of the form \(f(t,u) = \nabla F(t,u).\) The more general situation of the differential inclusion \[ -(|u'|^{p-2}u')' \in \overline{\partial} F(t,u) \] with a Clarke's generalized gradient is considered as well. Various tools of critical point theory, like mountain pass-type lemmas in smooth and non-smooth situations, and results of Szulkin for variational inequalities are used, as well as fixed point theory.