Mixed Local-Nonlocal Operators and Singularity: A Multiple-Solution Perspective

Abstract: We investigate the existence of multiple positive solutions for the following Dirichlet boundary value problem: \begin{equation*} \begin{aligned} -\Delta_p u + (-\Delta_p)^s u = \lambda \frac{f(u)}{u^{\beta}}\ \text{in} \ \Omega\newline u >0\ \text{in} \ \Omega,\ u =0\ \text{in} \ \mathbb{R}^N \setminus \Omega \end{aligned} \end{equation*} where $\Omega$ is an arbitrary bounded domain in $\mathbb{R}^N$ with smooth boundary, $0\leq \beta<1$ and $f$ is a non-decreasing $C^1$-function which is $p$-sublinear at infinity and satisfies $f(0)>0$. By employing the method of sub- and supersolutions, we establish the existence of a positive solution for every $\lambda>0$ and that of two positive solutions for a certain range of the parameter $\lambda$. In the non-singular case (i.e. when $\beta=0$) and in the linear case with singularity (i.e. when $p=2$ and $0<\beta<1$), we further apply Amann's fixed point theorem to show that the problem admits at least three positive solutions within this range of $\lambda$. The mixed local-nonlocal nature of the operator and the non-linearity pose challenges in constructing sub- and supersolutions, however, these are effectively addressed through the operator's homogeneity.