Numerical optimization of Neumann eigenvalues of domains in the sphere

Abstract

This paper deals with the numerical optimization of the first three eigenvalues of the Laplace-Beltrami operator of domains in the Euclidean sphere of R3 with Neumann boundary conditions. We address two approaches: the first one is a generalization of the initial problem leading to a density method and the other one is a shape optimization procedure using the level-set method. The original goal of those methods was to investigate the conjecture according to which the geodesic ball was optimal for the first non-trivial eigenvalue under certain conditions. These computations provide strong insight into the optimal shapes of those eigenvalue problems and show a rich variety of geometries regarding the proportion of the surface area of the sphere occupied by the domain. In the last part, the same algorithms are used to carry out the same investigations on a torus.