Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 January 2019
We consider the parabolic, initial-boundary value problem
1$$\matrix{ {\displaystyle{{\partial v} \over {\partial t}} = \Delta _p(v) + f(x,v),} & {{\rm in}({\rm - 1},{\rm 1}) \times ({\rm 0},\infty ),} \cr {v( \pm 1,t) = 0,} \hfill \hfill \hfill & {{\rm t}\in [{\rm 0},\infty ),} \hfill \hfill \cr {v = v_0\in C_0^0 ([-1,1]),} & {{\rm in}[{\rm - 1},{\rm 1}] \times \{ {\rm 0}\} ,} \cr } $$
We also consider a bifurcation type problem similar to (1), having a line of trivial solutions. We characterize the stability or instability of the trivial solutions, and the bifurcating, non-trivial solutions, and show that there is an ‘exchange of stability’ at the bifurcation point, analogous to the well-known result when p = 2.