Moderate solutions of semilinear elliptic equations with Hardy potential under minimal restrictions on the potential

Abstract

We study semilinear elliptic equations with Hardy potential $\mathrm{(E)} \; -L_\mu u+u^q=0$ in a bounded smooth domain $\Omega\subset \mathbb R^N$. Here $q>1$, $L_\mu=\Delta+\frac{\mu}{\delta_\Omega^2}$ and $\delta_\Omega(x)=\mathrm{dist}(x,\partial\Omega)$. Assuming that $0\leq \mu<C_H(\Omega)$, boundary value problems with measure data and discrete boundary singularities for positive solutions of $\mathrm{(E)}$ have been studied earlier. In the present paper we study these problems, in arbitrary domains, assuming only $-\infty<\mu<1/4$, even if $C_H(\Omega)<1/4$. We recall that $C_H(\Omega)\leq 1/4$ and, in general, strict inequality holds. The key to our study is the fact that, if $\mu<1/4$ then in smooth domains there exist local $L_\mu$-superharmonic functions in a neighborhood of $\partial\Omega$ (even if $C_H(\Omega)<1/4$). Using this fact we extend the notion of normalized boundary trace to arbitrary domains, provided that $\mu<1/4$. Further we study the b.v.p. with normalized boundary trace $\nu$ in the space of positive finite measures on $\partial\Omega$. We show that existence depends on two critical values of the exponent $q$ and discuss the question of uniqueness. Part of the paper is devoted to the study of the linear operator: properties of local $L_\mu$ subharmonic and superharmonic functions and the related notion of moderate solutions.