Existence and multiplicity results for a class of coupled quasilinear elliptic systems of gradient type (2208.10794v1)

Abstract: The aim of this paper is investigating the existence of one or more weak solutions of the coupled quasilinear elliptic system of gradient type [ (P)\qquad \left{ \begin{array}{ll} - {\rm div} (A(x, u)\vert\nabla u\vert^{p_1 -2} \nabla u) + \frac{1}{p_1}A_u (x, u)\vert\nabla u\vert^{p_1} = G_u(x, u, v) &\hbox{ in $\Omega$,}\[5pt] - {\rm div} (B(x, v)\vert\nabla v\vert^{p_2 -2} \nabla v) +\frac{1}{p_2}B_v(x, v)\vert\nabla v\vert^{p_2} = G_v\left(x, u, v\right) &\hbox{ in $\Omega$,}\[5pt] u = v = 0 &\hbox{ on $\partial\Omega$,} \end{array} \right. ] where $\Omega \subset \mathbb{R}^N$ is an open bounded domain, $p_1$, $p_2 > 1$ and $A(x,u)$, $B(x,v)$ are $\mathcal{C}^1$-Carath\'eodory functions on $\Omega \times \mathbb{R}$ with partial derivatives $A_u(x,u)$, respectively $B_v(x,v)$, while $G_u(x,u,v)$, $G_v(x,u,v)$ are given Carath\'eodory maps defined on $\Omega \times \mathbb{R}\times \mathbb{R}$ which are partial derivatives of a function $G(x,u,v)$. We prove that, even if the coefficients make the variational approach more difficult, under suitable hypotheses functional $\cal{J}$, related to problem $(P)$, admits at least one critical point in the ''right'' Banach space $X$. Moreover, if $\cal{J}$ is even, then $(P)$ has infinitely many weak bounded solutions. The proof, which exploits the interaction between two different norms, is based on a weak version of the Cerami-Palais-Smale condition, a ''good'' decomposition of the Banach space $X$ and suitable generalizations of the Ambrosetti-Rabinowitz Mountain Pass Theorems.