Least Energy Solutions for Cooperative and Competitive Schrödinger Systems with Neumann Boundary Conditions

Abstract: We study the following gradient elliptic system with Neumann boundary conditions \begin{equation*} -\Delta u + \lambda_1 u = u^3 + \beta uv^2, \ -\Delta v + \lambda_2 v = v^3 + \beta u^2 v \ \text{in } \Omega,\qquad \frac{\partial u}{\partial \nu} = \frac{\partial v}{\partial \nu} = 0 \ \text{on } \partial \Omega, \end{equation*} where $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^N $ is a bounded $ C^2$ domain with $ N \leq 4 $, and $ \nu $ denotes the outward unit normal on the boundary. We investigate the existence of non-constant least energy solutions in both the cooperative ($\beta > 0 $) and the competitive ($ \beta < 0 $) regimes, considering both the definite and the indefinite case, namely $\lambda_1,\lambda_2\in\mathbb R$. We emphasize that our analysis includes both the subcritical case $ N \leq 3 $ and the critical case $ N = 4 $. Depending on the values of $\beta,\lambda_1,\lambda_2$, the least energy solution is obtained either via a linking theorem, by minimizing over a suitable Nehari manifold, or by direct minimization on the set of all non-trivial weak solutions. Our results and techniques can be also adapted to cover some previously untreated cases for Dirichlet conditions.