Local versus nonlocal elliptic equations: short-long range field interactions

In this paper we study a class of one-parameter family of elliptic equations which combines local and nonlocal operators, namely the Laplacian and the fractional Laplacian. We analyze spectral properties, establish the validity of the maximum principle, prove existence, nonexistence, symmetry and regularity results for weak solutions. The asymptotic behavior of weak solutions as the coupling parameter vanishes (which turns the problem into a purely nonlocal one) or goes to infinity (reducing the problem to the classical semilinear Laplace equation) is also investigated.