Hamiltonian elliptic systems: a guide to variational frameworks

Consider a Hamiltonian system of type $$-\Delta u=H_{v}(u,v),\ -\Delta v=H_{u}(u,v) \ \ \text{ in } \Omega, \qquad u,v=0 \text{ on } \partial \Omega$$ where $H$ is a power-type nonlinearity, for instance $H(u,v)= |u|^p/p+|v|^q/q$, having subcritical growth, and $\Omega$ is a bounded domain of $\mathbb{R}^N$, $N\geq 1$. The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the several variational frameworks that can be used to treat such a system. Within each approach, we address existence of solutions, and in particular of ground state solutions. Some of the available frameworks are more adequate to derive certain qualitative properties; we illustrate this in the second half of this survey, where we also review some of the most recent literature dealing mainly with symmetry, concentration, and multiplicity results. This paper contains some original results as well as new proofs and approaches to known facts.Comment: 78 pages, 7 figures. This corresponds to the second version of this paper. With respect to the original version, this one contains additional references, and some misprints were correcte

Mountain pass solutions for the fractional Berestycki-Lions problem

We investigate the existence of least energy solutions and infinitely many solutions for the following nonlinear fractional equation (-\Delta)^{s} u = g(u) \mbox{ in } \mathbb{R}^{N}, where $s\in (0,1)$, $N\geq 2$, $(-\Delta)^{s}$ is the fractional Laplacian and $g: \mathbb{R} \rightarrow \mathbb{R}$ is an odd $\mathcal{C}^{1, \alpha}$ function satisfying Berestycki-Lions type assumptions. The proof is based on the symmetric mountain pass approach developed by Hirata, Ikoma and Tanaka in \cite{HIT}. Moreover, by combining the mountain pass approach and an approximation argument, we also prove the existence of a positive radially symmetric solution for the above problem when $g$ satisfies suitable growth conditions which make our problem fall in the so called "zero mass" case

Double-phase problems with reaction of arbitrary growth

We consider a parametric nonlinear nonhomogeneous elliptic equation, driven by the sum of two differential operators having different structure. The associated energy functional has unbalanced growth and we do not impose any global growth conditions to the reaction term, whose behavior is prescribed only near the origin. Using truncation and comparison techniques and Morse theory, we show that the problem has multiple solutions in the case of high perturbations. We also show that if a symmetry condition is imposed to the reaction term, then we can generate a sequence of distinct nodal solutions with smaller and smaller energies

Lectures on the free period Lagrangian action functional

In this expository article we study the question of the existence of periodic orbits of prescribed energy for classical Hamiltonian systems on compact configuration spaces. We use a variational approach, by studying how the behavior of the free period Lagrangian action functional changes when the energy crosses certain values, known as the Ma\~n\'e critical values.Comment: This expository article is the outcome of two series of lectures that the author gave at two summer schools at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study of Seul in 2010 and at the Universit\'e de Neuch\^atel in 201

Robin problems with a general potential and a superlinear reaction

We consider semilinear Robin problems driven by the negative Laplacian plus an indefinite potential and with a superlinear reaction term which need not satisfy the Ambrosetti-Rabinowitz condition. We prove existence and multiplicity theorems (producing also an infinity of smooth solutions) using variational tools, truncation and perturbation techniques and Morse theory (critical groups)