On advective nonlocal operators: multiplicity of principal eigenpairs

Abstract

We study the existence and multiplicity of principal eigenvalues and eigenfunctions for a periodically heterogeneous nonlocal dispersal model with advection. The operator we consider is resolvent-positive but not resolvent-compact; therefore, the classical Krein-Rutman theory cannot be applied directly. When the advection coefficient has a constant sign, we prove the existence and uniqueness of the principal eigenvalue and the corresponding normalized eigenfunction. In sharp contrast, when the advection does not have a constant sign, the problem is more involved and leads to surprising results. Depending on the coefficients of the equation, the principal eigenproblem can either have a unique normalized solution or a continuum of solutions, at the boundary of which there exists a principal eigenvector with a singular measure component. In the latter situation, all the constructed eigenvalues are embedded in the continuous spectrum of our operator. We completely characterize the eigenvalues associated with positive eigenvectors, even when the eigenvector is a Radon measure. Finally, we discuss an application to a nonlinear KPP-type equation with nonlocal dispersal, which possesses a continuum of nontrivial stationary solutions, a different behavior from the classical KPP equation with local diffusion.