Minimization of the zeroth Neumann eigenvalues with integrable potentials (Q444998)

Let \(\lambda_{0}(q)\) be the first eigenvalue of the Neumann problem for the Sturm-Liouville operator on the unit interval with integrable potential \(q\). The main result of the paper states that if \(\tilde L_{1}(r)=inf_{q} \lambda_{0}(q)\), where potentials \(q\) have mean value zero and \(L^{1}\) norm \(r\), then \(\tilde L_{1}(r)= -r^{2}/2\) and that \(\tilde L_{1}(r)\) cannot be obtained by any potential in the ball of radius \(r\). But, for any \(r \geq 0\) one has \(\tilde L_{1}(r)= \lambda_{0} (\pm \nu_{r})\), where \(\nu_{r} = (r/2)(\delta_{1} - \delta_{0})\), \(\delta_{a}\) is the Dirac measure located at \(a\) and \(\lambda_{0}(\nu)\) is the first Neumann eigenvalue for the measure differential equation with measure \(\nu\). We can distiguish two main steps of the proof. The first one consists in solving the corresponding \(L^{p}\) minimization problem for \(p>1\). Then the final result is obtained using a limiting process (\(p\downarrow 1\)) and continuity results for solutions and eigenvalues with respect to potentials and measures in weak topologies.