Bifurcation of eigenvalues in nonlinear problems with antilinear symmetry

Abstract

Many physical systems can be described by eigenvalues of nonlinear equations and bifurcation problems with a linear part that is non-selfadjoint, e.g., due to the presence of loss and gain. The balance of these effects is reflected in an antilinear symmetry, e.g., the PT-symmetry. Under the symmetry we show that the nonlinear eigenvalues bifurcating from real linear eigenvalues remain real and the corresponding nonlinear eigenfunctions remain symmetric. The abstract result is applied in a number of physical models of Bose-Einstein condensation, nonlinear optics, and superconductivity, and numerical examples are presented.