On multiple eigenvalues of selfadjoint compact operators (Q2367728)

The paper contains a perturbation result for multiple eigenvalues of the Laplacian on certain domains \(\Omega\subset \mathbb{R}^ m\). Assume that \((- \Delta)\), with Dirichlet boundary conditions, has an eigenvalue of multiplicity 2 on \(L_ 2(\Omega)\). It is shown that the set of perturbations of the domain \(\Omega\) (in the \(C^ 3\)-topology), for which the perturbed operator preserves the multiplicity 2 of the eigenvalue, is a manifold of codimension 2 in \(C^ 3(\mathbb{R}^ n)\). First, an abstract result is proved by transversality methods which is then applied to the current situation.