Abstract
This paper deals with the mathematical analysis of a class of nonlinear eigenvalue problems driven by a nonhomogeneous differential operator. We are concerned both with the coercive and the noncoercive (and nonresonant) cases, which are in relationship with two associated Rayleigh quotients. The proof combines critical point theory arguments and the dual variational principle. The arguments developed in this paper can be extended to other classes of nonlinear eigenvalue problems with nonstandard growth.