Sums of Laplace eigenvalues-rotationally symmetric maximizers in the plane (Q630787)

The authors prove sharp upper bounds on eigenvalue sums for the Laplacian on plane domains \(D\). With \(A\) and \(I\) denoting, respectively, area and inertia of \(D\), the normalized, scale invariant sums of Dirichlet eigenvalues, \((\lambda_1+\cdots+\lambda_n)A^3/I\), are shown to be maximal for domains \(D\) of rotational symmetry \(\geq 3\) among the domains \(T(D)\), where \(T\) is an invertible linear transformation. Similar results are given for Neumann, Robin, and Schrödinger eigenvalues. The proof of the main result is based on the Rayleigh-Poincaré principle and uses the rotational symmetry of \(D\) to construct trial functions on \(T(D)\). The estimates are obtained by a nice argument which handles averaging over rotations via a Parseval-type identity, or tight frame property. The authors state open problems for general convex domains. In particular, they conjecture the normalized sum of Neumann eigenvalues to be maximized by the disk.