Entire solutions in ${ℝ}^2$ for a class of Allen-Cahn equations

Alessio, Francesca; Montecchiari, Piero

ESAIM: Control, Optimisation and Calculus of Variations, Tome 11 (2005) no. 4, pp. 633-672

We consider a class of semilinear elliptic equations of the form

$$-{\epsilon }^2\Delta u(x,y)+a\left(x\right)W^{\text{'}}\left(u(x,y)\right)=0,(x,y)\in {ℝ}^2$$

where $\epsilon >0$, $a:ℝ\to ℝ$ is a periodic, positive function and $W:ℝ\to ℝ$ is modeled on the classical two well Ginzburg-Landau potential $W\left(s\right)={(s^2-1)}^2$. We look for solutions to (1) which verify the asymptotic conditions $u(x,y)\to \pm 1$ as $x\to \pm \infty$ uniformly with respect to $y\in ℝ$. We show via variational methods that if $\epsilon$ is sufficiently small and $a$ is not constant, then (1) admits infinitely many of such solutions, distinct up to translations, which do not exhibit one dimensional symmetries.

Classification : 34C37, 35B05, 35B40, 35J20, 35J60
Keywords: heteroclinic solutions, elliptic equations, variational methods

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