Brezis-Nirenberg type problems associated with nonlinear superposition operators of mixed fractional order

Abstract

This paper aims to study the Brezis-Nirenberg type problem driven by the nonlinear superposition of operators of the form $$A_{\mu, p}u:=\int_{[0,1]}(-\Delta)_{p}^{s} u\,\, d \mu(s),$$ where $\mu$ denotes the signed measure over $[0, 1]$. We consider nonlinear nonlocal equations associated with $A_{\mu, p}$, involving critical nonlinearity and lower-order perturbation. Using variational techniques, we establish existence results for the critical problem by employing weak lower semicontinuity arguments under general assumptions on the perturbation term. We discuss the multiplicity results when the perturbation term vanishes at the origin. Additionally, when the lower-order term is a pure power function, we examine the Brezis-Nirenberg-type problem using the mountain pass technique. Furthermore, we address the existence of solutions to subcritical problems associated with $A_{\mu, p}.$ Our findings are novel, even in the case of the sum of two distinct fractional $p$-Laplacians or a combination of a fractional $p$-Laplacian with a classical $p$-Laplacian. More generally, our framework is sufficiently broad to accommodate finite sums of different fractional $p$-Laplacians as well as cases involving fractional Laplacians with ``wrong" signs. A key contribution of this study is the development of a unified approach that systematically addresses these problems by incorporating a broad class of operators and lower-order perturbation terms within a common theoretical framework. The results remain new even in the case of linear superposition of fractional operators of different orders.