Limit profiles for singularly perturbed Choquard equations with local repulsion

Abstract

We study Choquard type equation of the form $$-\Delta u +\varepsilon u-(I_{\alpha}*|u|^p)|u|^{p-2}u+|u|^{q-2}u=0\quad in \quad {\mathbb R}^N,\qquad\qquad(P_\varepsilon)$$ where $N\geq3$, $I_\alpha$ is the Riesz potential with $\alpha\in(0,N)$, $p>1$, $q>2$ and $\varepsilon\ge 0$. Equations of this type describe collective behaviour of self-interacting many-body systems. The nonlocal nonlinear term represents long-range attraction while the local nonlinear term represents short-range repulsion. In the first part of the paper for a nearly optimal range of parameters we prove the existence and study regularity and qualitative properties of positive groundstates of $(P_0)$ and of $(P_\varepsilon)$ with $\varepsilon>0$. We also study the existence of a compactly supported groundstate for an integral Thomas-Fermi type equation associated to $(P_\varepsilon)$. In the second part of the paper, for $\varepsilon\to 0$ we identify six different asymptotic regimes and provide a characterisation of the limit profiles of the groundstates of $(P_\varepsilon)$ in each of the regimes. We also outline three different asymptotic regimes in the case $\varepsilon\to\infty$. In one of the asymptotic regimes positive groundstates of $(P_\varepsilon)$ converge to a compactly supported Thomas-Fermi limit profile. This is a new and purely nonlocal phenomenon that can not be observed in the local prototype case of $(P_\varepsilon)$ with $\alpha=0$. In particular, this provides a justification for the Thomas-Fermi approximation in astrophysical models of self-gravitating Bose-Einstein condensate.