Quasilinear elliptic equations with slowly growing principal part and critical Orlicz–Sobolev nonlinear term

A variational problem for a functional with slowly growing principal part and involving critical Orlicz–Sobolev lower term with respect to the principal part is discussed. The principal part of the functional is not Fréchet differentiable. The lack of differentiability and the critical growth rate of the lower term demand a precise compactness argument in the variational approach. A non-negative solution for the Euler equation is given.