Sharp estimates and saturation phenomena for a nonlocal eigenvalue problem (Q643438)

The aim of the paper under review is the solution of the following eigenvalue problem \[ -\Delta u + \alpha \int_\Omega u dx = \lambda u \;\text{ in } \;\Omega, \] \[ u = 0 \;\text{ on } \;\partial \Omega, \] where \(\alpha\) is a given real parameter and \(\Omega\) is a bounded open set in \(\mathbb{R}^n\). This problem appears in the context of shape optimization. For a given \(\alpha\) the problem is to find the domain \(\Omega\) which minimizes the first eigenvalue \(\lambda(\alpha,\Omega)\) among all \(\Omega\) with a given measure. When \(\alpha = 0\), the optimal domain is a ball according to the Faber-Krahn inequality. Using well-known rearrangement properties the authors obtain the main result that, depending on \(\alpha\) and \(|\Omega|\), the first eigenvalue \(\lambda(\alpha,\Omega)\) is minimal for a ball or the union of two disjoint balls of equal measure.