We establish various nodal domain theorems for $p$-Laplacians on signed graphs, which unify most of the existing results on nodal domains of graph $p$-Laplacians and arbitrary symmetric matrices. Based on our nodal domain estimates, we obtain a higher order Cheeger inequality that relates the variational eigenvalues of $p$-Laplacians and Atay-Liu's multi-way Cheeger constants on signed graphs. In the particular case of $p=1$, this leads to several identities relating variational eigenvalues and multi-way Cheeger constants. Intriguingly, our approach also leads to new results on usual graphs, including a weak version of Sturm's oscillation theorem for graph $1$-Laplacians and nonexistence of eigenvalues between the largest and second largest variational eigenvalues of $p$-Laplacians with $p>1$ on connected bipartite graphs.
In 2001, Davies, Gladwell, Leydold, and Stadler proved discrete nodal domain theorems for eigenfunctions of generalized Laplacians, i.e., symmetric matrices with non-positive off-diagonal entries. In this paper, we establish nodal domain theorems for arbitrary symmetric matrices by exploring the induced signed graph structure. Our concepts of nodal domains for any function on a signed graph are switching invariant. When the induced signed graph is balanced, our definitions and upper bound estimates reduce to existing results for generalized Laplacians. Our approach provides a more conceptual u…
We study the sets of inertias achieved by Laplacian matrices of weighted signed graphs. First we characterize signed graphs with a unique Laplacian inertia. Then we show that there is a sufficiently small perturbation of the nonzero weights on the edges of any connected weighted signed graph so that all eigenvalues of its Laplacian matrix are simple. Next, we give upper bounds on the number of possible Laplacian inertias for signed graphs with a fixed flexibility $τ$ (a combinatorial parameter of signed graphs), and show that these bounds are sharp for an infinite family of signed graphs. Fina…
We study the symmetry properties of the spectra of normalized Laplacians on signed graphs. We find a new machinery that generates symmetric spectra for signed graphs, which includes bipartiteness of unsigned graphs as a special case. Moreover, we prove a fundamental connection between the symmetry of the spectrum and the existence of damped two-periodic solutions for the discrete-time heat equation on the graph.
In this note, we discuss a question posed by T. Hoffmann-Ostenhof concerning the parity of the number of nodal domains for a non-constant eigenfunction of the Laplacian on flat tori. We present two results. We first show that on the torus $(\mathbb{R}/2π\mathbb{Z})^{2}$, a non-constant eigenfunction has an even number of nodal domains. We then consider the torus $(\mathbb{R}/2π\mathbb{Z})\times(\mathbb{R}/2ρπ\mathbb{Z})\,$, with $ρ=\frac{1}{\sqrt{3}}\,$, and construct on it an eigenfunction with three nodal domains.
In this study, inverse nodal problem is solved for p-Laplacian Schrödinger equation with energy-dependent potential with the Drichlet conditions. Asymptotic estimates of eigenvalues, nodal points and nodal lengths are given by using Prüfer substitution. Especially, an explicit formula for potential function is given by using nodal lengths. Results are more general than classical p- Laplacian Sturm Liouville problem. For the proofs, it is used the methods given in the references <cite>lav3</cite>, <cite>Wang</cite>.
In a recent paper, we exhibit a link between the average local growth of Laplace eigenfunctions on surfaces and the size of their nodal set. In that paper, the average local growth is computed using the uniform - or $L^\infty$ - growth exponents on disks of wavelength radius. The purpose of this note is to prove similar results for a broader class of $L^q$ growth exponents with $q \in (1, \infty)$. More precisely, we show that the size of the nodal set is bounded above and below by the product of the average local $L^q$ growth with the frequency. We briefly discuss the relation between this ne…
In this note, we extend some results in a previous paper on the inverse nodal problem and Ambarzumyan problem for the p-Laplacian to periodic or anti-periodic boundary conditions, and to L^1 potentials.
We consider the nonlinear graph $p$-Laplacian and its set of eigenvalues and associated eigenfunctions of this operator defined by a variational principle. We prove a nodal domain theorem for the graph $p$-Laplacian for any $p\geq 1$. While for $p>1$ the bounds on the number of weak and strong nodal domains are the same as for the linear graph Laplacian ($p=2$), the behavior changes for $p=1$. We show that the bounds are tight for $p\geq 1$ as the bounds are attained by the eigenfunctions of the graph $p$-Laplacian on two graphs. Finally, using the properties of the nodal domains, we prove a h…
In this paper we propose a spectral flow for graph Laplacians, and prove that it counts the number of nodal domains for a given Laplace eigenvector. This extends work done for Laplacians on $\mathbb{R}^n$ to the graph setting. We mention some open problems relating the topology of a graph to the analytic behaviour of its Laplace eigenvectors, and include numerical examples illustrating our flow.
The eigenvectors for graph $1$-Laplacian possess some sort of localization property: On one hand, any nodal domain of an eigenvector is again an eigenvector with the same eigenvalue; on the other hand, one can pack up an eigenvector for a new graph by several fundamental eigencomponents and modules with the same eigenvalue via few special techniques. The Courant nodal domain theorem for graphs is extended to graph $1$-Laplacian for strong nodal domains, but for weak nodal domains it is false. The notion of algebraic multiplicity is introduced in order to provide a more precise estimate of the …
We build a one-parameter family of S^{1}-invariant metrics on the unit disc with fixed total area for which the second eigenvalue of the Laplace operator in the case of both Neumann and Dirichlet boundary conditions is simple and has an eigenfunction with a closed nodal line. In the case of Neumann boundary conditions, we also prove that this eigenfunction attains its maximum at an interior point, and thus provide a counterexample to the hot spots conjecture on a simply connected surface. This is a consequence of the stronger result that within this family of metrics any given (finite) number …
The Dirichlet Laplacian in curved tubes of arbitrary constant cross-section rotating together with the Tang frame along a bounded curve in Euclidean spaces of arbitrary dimension is investigated in the limit when the volume of the cross-section diminishes. We show that spectral properties of the Laplacian are, in this limit, approximated well by those of the sum of the Dirichlet Laplacian in the cross-section and a one-dimensional Schrodinger operator whose potential is expressed solely in terms of the first curvature of the reference curve. In particular, we establish the convergence of eigen…
Let $Σ$ be an oriented compact hypersurface in the round sphere $\mathbb{S}^n$ or in the flat torus $\mathbb{T}^n$, $n\geq 3$. In the case of the torus, $Σ$ is further assumed to be contained in a contractible subset of $\mathbb{T}^n$. We show that for any sufficiently large enough odd integer $N$ there exists an eigenfunctions $ψ$ of the Laplacian on $\mathbb{S}^n$ or $\mathbb{T}^n$ satisfying $Δψ=-λψ$ (with $λ=N(N+n-1)$ or $N^2$ on $\mathbb{S}^n$ or $\mathbb{T}^n$, respectively), and with a connected component of the nodal set of $ψ$ given by~$Σ$, up to an ambient diffeomorphism.
This article concerns the number of nodal domains of eigenfunctions of the Laplacian on special Riemannian $3$-manifolds, namely nontrivial principal $S^1$ bundles $P \to X$ over Riemann surfaces equipped with certain $S^1$ invariant metrics, the Kaluza-Klein metrics. We prove for generic Kaluza-Klein metrics that any Laplacian eigenfunction has exactly two nodal domains unless it is invariant under the $S^1$ action. We also construct an explicit orthonormal eigenbasis on the flat $3$-torus $\mathbb{T}^3$ for which every non-constant eigenfunction belonging to the basis has two nodal domains.
We prove two mixed versions of the Discrete Nodal Theorem of Davies et. al. [3] for bounded degree graphs, and for three-connected graphs of fixed genus $g$. Using this we can show that for a three-connected graph satisfying a certain volume-growth condition, the multiplicity of the $n$th Laplacian eigenvalue is at most $2\left[ 6(n-1) + 15(2g-2) \right]^2$. Our results hold for any Schrödinger operator, not just the Laplacian.
A number of recent papers have considered signed graph Laplacians, a generalization of the classical graph Laplacian, where the edge weights are allowed to take either sign. In the classical case, where the edge weights are all positive, the Laplacian is positive semi-definite with the dimension of the kernel representing the number of connected components of the graph. In many applications one is interested in establishing conditions which guarantee the positive semi-definiteness of the matrix. In this paper we present an inequality on the eigenvalues of a weighted graph Laplacian (where the …
In this paper, we present some novel and intriguing findings on the geometric structures of Laplacian eigenfunctions and their deep relationship to the quantitative behaviours of the eigenfunctions in two dimensions. We introduce a new notion of generalized singular lines of the Laplacian eigenfunctions, and carefully study these singular lines and the nodal lines. The studies reveal that the intersecting angle between two of those lines is closely related to the vanishing order of the eigenfunction at the intersecting point. We establish an accurate and comprehensive quantitative characterisa…
Å Pleijel has proved that in the case of the Laplacian on the square with Neumann condition, the equality in the Courant nodal theorem (Courant sharp situation) can only be true for a finite number of eigenvalues. We identify five Courant sharp eigenvalues for the Neumann Laplacian in the square, and prove that there are no other cases.
In this paper, we show that equality in Courant's nodal domain theorem can only be reached for a finite number of eigenvalues of the Neumann Laplacian, in the case of an open, bounded and connected set in R n with a C 1,1 boundary. This result is analogous to Pleijel's nodal domain theorem for the Dirichlet Laplacian (1956). It confirms, in all dimensions, a conjecture formulated by Pleijel, which had already been solved by I. Polterovich for a two-dimensional domain with a piecewise-analytic boundary (2009). We also show that the argument and the result extend to a class of Robin boundary con…
We introduce an analogue of Payne's nodal line conjecture, which asserts that the nodal (zero) set of any eigenfunction associated with the second eigenvalue of the Dirichlet Laplacian on a bounded planar domain should reach the boundary of the domain. The assertion here is that any eigenfunction associated with the first nontrivial eigenvalue of the Neumann Laplacian on a domain $Ω$ with rotational symmetry of order two (i.e., $x\inΩ$ iff $-x\inΩ$) "should normally" be rotationally antisymmetric. We give both positive and negative results which highlight the heuristic similarity of this asser…
In this note, we make an observation that Laplacian eigenfunctions fail equidistribution at the Planck scale. Furthermore, equidistribution at the same scale also fails around the points where the eigenfunctions have large values.
We show the existence of simply-connected unbounded planar domains for which the second nodal line of the Dirichlet Laplacian does not touch the boundary.
We give an example of a domain in dimension $N \geq 3$, homeomorphic to a ball and with analytic boundary, for which the second eigenvalue of the Dirichlet Laplacian has an eigenfunction with a closed nodal surface. The domain is constructed via a sequence of perturbations of the domain of S. Fournais [J. Differential Equations \textbf{173} (2001), 145-159].
Å. Pleijel (1956) has proved that in the case of the Laplacian with Dirichlet condition, the equality in the Courant nodal theorem (Courant sharp situation) can only be true for a finite number of eigenvalues when the dimension is $\geq 2$. Recently Polterovich extended the result to the Neumann problem in two dimensions in the case when the boundary is piecewise analytic. A question coming from the theory of spectral minimal partitions has motivated the analysis of the cases when one has equality in Courant's theorem. In this note, we identify the Courant sharp eigenvalues for the Dirichlet a…
This paper is concerned with the location of nodal sets of eigenfunctions of the Dirichlet Laplacian in thin tubular neighbourhoods of hypersurfaces of the Euclidean space of arbitrary dimension. In the limit when the radius of the neighbourhood tends to zero, it is known that spectral properties of the Laplacian are approximated well by an effective Schrödinger operator on the hypersurface with a potential expressed solely in terms of principal curvatures. By applying techniques of elliptic partial differential equations, we strengthen the known perturbation results to get a convergence of ei…
We introduce a notion of nodal domains for positivity preserving forms. This notion generalizes the classical ones for Laplacians on domains and on graphs. We prove the Courant nodal domain theorem in this generalized setting using purely analytical methods.
This is a survey of recent results on eigenfunctions of the Laplacian on compact Riemannian manifolds and their nodal sets. It is the write-up of my talk at JDG 2011.
We obtain lower bounds for the number of nodal domains of Hecke eigenfunctions on the sphere. Assuming the generalized Lindelof hypothesis we prove that the number of nodal domains of any Hecke eigenfunction grows with the eigenvalue of the Laplacian. By a very different method, we show unconditionally that the average number of nodal domains of degree l Hecke eigenfunctions grows significantly faster than the uniform growth obtained under Lindelof.
This paper is devoted to the refine analysis of Courant's theorem for the Dirichlet Laplacian. Many papers (and some of them quite recent) have investigated in which cases this inequality in Courant's theorem is an equality: Pleijel, Helffer--Hoffmann-Ostenhof--Terracini, Helffer--Hoffmann-Ostenhof, Bérard-Helffer, Helffer--Persson-Sundqvist, Léna, Leydold. All these results were devoted to $(2D)$-cases in open sets in $\mathbb R^2$ or in surfaces like $\mathbb S^2$ or $\mathbb T^2$. The aim of the current paper is to look for analogous results for domains in $\mathbb{R}^3$ and, as $Å.$Pleijel…
We establish metric graph counterparts of Pleijel's theorem on the asymptotics of the number of nodal domains $ν_n$ of the $n$-th eigenfunction(s) of a broad class of operators on compact metric graphs, including Schrödinger operators with $L^1$-potentials and a variety of vertex conditions as well as the $p$-Laplacian with natural vertex conditions, and without any assumptions on the lengths of the edges, the topology of the graph, or the behaviour of the eigenfunctions at the vertices. {Among other things, these results characterise the accumulation points of the sequence $(\frac{ν_n}{n})_{n…
This paper is concerned with the lower bounds for the principal frequency of the $p$-Laplacian on $n$-dimensional Euclidean domains. In particular, we extend the classical results involving the inner radius of a domain and the first eigenvalue of the Laplace operator to the case $p\neq2$. As a by-product, we obtain a lower bound on the size of the nodal set of an eigenfunction of the $p$-Laplacian on planar domains.
In this paper, we will consider generalised eigenfunctions of the Laplacian on some surfaces of infinite area. We will be interested in lower bounds on the number of nodal domains of such eigenfunctions which are included in a given bounded set. We will first of all consider finite sums of plane waves, and give a criterion on the amplitudes and directions of propagation of these plane waves which guarantees an optimal lower bound, of the same order as Courant's upper bound. As an application, we will obtain optimal lower bounds for the number of nodal domains of distorted plane waves on some f…
For small range of $p>2$, we improve the $L^p$ bounds of eigenfunctions of the Laplacian on negatively curved manifolds. Our improvement is by a power of logarithm for a full density sequence of eigenfunctions. We also derive improvements on the size of the nodal sets. Our proof is based on a quantum ergodicity property of independent interest, which holds for families of symbols supported in balls whose radius shrinks at a logarithmic rate.
For the spherical Laplacian on the sphere and for the Dirichlet Laplacian in the square}, Antonie Stern claimed in her PhD thesis (1924) the existence of an infinite sequence of eigenvalues whose corresponding eigenspaces contain an eigenfunction with exactly two nodal domains. These results were given complete proofs respectively by Hans Lewy in 1977, and the authors in 2014 (see also Gauthier-Shalom--Przybytkowski, 2006). In this paper, we obtain similar results for the two dimensional isotropic quantum harmonic oscillator. In the opposite direction, we construct an infinite sequence of regu…
