On nodal solutions with a prescribed number of nodes for a Kirchhoff-type problem

Abstract

We are concerned with the existence and asymptotic behavior of multiple radial sign-changing solutions with the nodal characterization for a Kirchhoff-type problem involving the nonlinearity $|u|^{p-2}u(2<p<4)$ in $\mathbb{R}^3$. By developing some useful analysis techniques and introducing a novel definition of the Nehari manifold for the auxiliary system of the equations, we show that, for any positive integer $k$, the problem has a sign-changing solution $u_k^b$ changing signs exactly $k$ times. Furthermore, the energy of $u_k^b$ is strictly increasing in $k$, as well as some asymptotic behaviors of $u_k^b$ are obtained. Our result is a complement of [Deng Y, Peng S, Shuai W, {\it J. Funct. Anal.}, {\bf269}(2015), 3500-3527], where the case $2<p<4$ is left open.