Non-Ljusternik--Schnirelman eigenvalues of the pure $p$-Laplacian exist

Abstract

An old and well-known open problem in the critical point theory asks whether, for some $p \neq 2$ and some bounded domain $\Omega$, there exists a critical value of the $p$-Dirichlet energy $\|\nabla u\|_p^p$ over an $L^p(\Omega)$-sphere in $W_0^{1,p}(\Omega)$ lying outside of a Ljusternik--Schnirelman type sequence of critical values, the latter will be called LS eigenvalues of the $p$-Laplacian. In this work, we provide a positive answer by showing the existence of a non-LS eigenvalue when $p>2$ is sufficiently close to $2$ and $\Omega$ is just a planar rectangle close to the square. The arguments pursue the observation that a simple eigenvalue of the Laplacian can be a meeting point for several branches of eigenvalues of the $p$-Laplacian as $p$ varies. Since LS eigenvalues are continuous with respect to $p$ and exhaust the whole spectrum when $p=2$, we deduce that at least one of the branches must contain non-LS eigenvalues.