Skip to main content
Log in

On the nodal lines of second eigenfunctions of the fixed membrane problem

  • Published:
Commentarii Mathematici Helvetici

Abstract

A well-known conjecture about the second eigenfunction of a bounded domain in ℝ2 states that the nodal line has to intersect the boundary in exactly two points. We give sufficient conditions on the domain for this assertion to hold. For special doubly symmetric domains we also prove that λ2 is simple and that the nodal line of the second eigenfunction lies on one of the axes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cheng, S.-Y.,Eigenfuctions and nodal sets. Comment. Math. Helvetici51 (1976), 43–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Courant, R., andHilbert, D.,Methods of Mathematical Physics. vol. 1, Interscience Publishers, New York 1953.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Gilbarg, D., andTrudinger, N. S.,Elliptic Partial Differential Equations of Second Order. Second Edition, Springer, Berlin 1983.

    Book  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Lin, C.-S., On the second eigenfunctions of the Laplacian in ℝ2. Comm. Math. Phys.111 (1987), 161–166.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  5. Payne, L. E.,On two conjectures in the fixed membrane eigenvalue problem. Z. Angew. Math. Phys24 (1973), 721–729.

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Shen, C. L.,Remarks on the second eigenvalue of a symmetric simply connected plane region. SIAM J. Math. Anal.19 (1988), 167–171.

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Yau, S.-T.,Seminar on Differential Geometry. Princeton University Press, 1982.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pütter, R. On the nodal lines of second eigenfunctions of the fixed membrane problem. Commentarii Mathematici Helvetici 65, 96–103 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02566596

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02566596

Keywords

Navigation