Multiplicity of positive solutions for $(p,q)$-Laplace equations with two parameters

Abstract: We study the zero Dirichlet problem for the equation $-\Delta_p u -\Delta_q u = \alpha |u|^{p-2}u+\beta |u|^{q-2}u$ in a bounded domain $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^N$, with $1<q<p$. We investigate the relation between two critical curves on the $(\alpha,\beta)$-plane corresponding to the threshold of existence of special classes of positive solutions. In particular, in certain neighbourhoods of the point $(\alpha,\beta) = \left(|\nabla \varphi_p|_p^p/|\varphi_p|_p^p, |\nabla \varphi_p|_q^q/|\varphi_p|_q^q\right)$, where $\varphi_p$ is the first eigenfunction of the $p$-Laplacian, we show the existence of two and, which is rather unexpected, three distinct positive solutions, depending on a relation between the exponents $p$ and $q$.