Computing eigenvalues of Sturm-Liouville problems via optimal control theory

Abstract

In this paper, we shall address three problems arising in the computation of eigenvalues of Sturm-Liouville boundary value problems. We first consider a well-posed Sturm-Liouville problem with discrete and distinct spectrum. For this problem, we shall show that the eigenvalues can be computed by solving for the zeros of the boundary condition at the terminal point as a function of the eigenvalue. In the second problem, we shall consider the case where some coefficients and parameters in the differential equation are continuously adjustable. For this, the eigenvalues can be optimized with respect to these adjustable coefficients and parameters by reformulating the problem as a combined optimal control and optimal parameter selection problem. Subsequently, these optimized eigenvalues can be computed by using an existing optimal control software, MISER. The last problem extends the first to nonstandard boundary conditions such as periodic or interrelated boundary conditions. To illustrate the efficiency and the versatility of the proposed methods, several non-trivial numerical examples are included.