Block-radial symmetry breaking for ground states of biharmonic NLS

Abstract

We prove that the biharmonic NLS equation $Δ^2 u +2Δu+(1+\varepsilon)u=|u|^{p-2}u$ in $\mathbb R^d$ has at least $k+1$ different solutions if $\varepsilon>0$ is small enough and $2<p<2_\star^k$, where $2_\star^k$ is an explicit critical exponent arising from the Fourier restriction theory of $O(d-k)\times O(k)$-symmetric functions. This extends the recent symmetry breaking result of Lenzmann-Weth and relies on a chain of strict inequalities for the corresponding Rayleigh quotients associated with distinct values of $k$. We further prove that, as $\varepsilon\to 0^+$, the Fourier transform of each ground state concentrates near the unit sphere and becomes rough in the scale of Sobolev spaces.