Alternate steady states for classes of reaction diffusion models on exterior domains
Dagny Butler, Eunkyung Ko, R. Shivaji · Discrete and Continuous Dynamical Systems - S · 2014
We study positive radial solutions to the problem\begin{equation*} \left\{ \begin{split} -\Delta u &= \lambda K(|x|)f(u), \quad x \in \Omega, \\u(x) &= 0 \qquad \mbox{ if } |x|=r_0, \\u(x) &\rightarrow 0 \qquad \mbox{ as } |x|\rightarrow\infty, \end{split} \right.\end{equation*}where $\Delta u=div \big( abla u\big)$ is the Laplacian of $u$, $\lambda$ is a positive parameter, $\Omega=\{x\in\mathbb{R}^N: |x|>r_0\}$, $r_0>0$, and $N>2$. Here, $f\in C^2[0,\infty)$ and $f(u)>0$ on $(0,\sigma)$ and $f(u)\sigma$. Furthermore, $K:[r_0, \infty)\rightarrow(0,\infty)$ is continuous and $\lim_{r\rightarrow\infty}K(r)=0$. We discuss the existence of multiple positive solutions for a certain range of $\lambda$ leading to the occurrence of an S-shaped bifurcation curve when $f$ satisfies some additional assumptions. In particular, the two models we consider are $f_1(u)=u-\frac{u^2}{K}-c\frac{u^2}{1+u^2}$ and $f_2(u)=\tilde{K}-u+\tilde{c}\frac{u^4}{1+u^4}$. We prove our results by the method of sub-super solutions.