Spectral structure of the Neumann--Poincar\'e operator on tori

Abstract

We address the question whether there is a three-dimensional bounded domain such that the Neumann--Poincar\'e operator defined on its boundary has infinitely many negative eigenvalues. It is proved in this paper that tori have such a property. It is done by decomposing the Neumann--Poincar\'e operator on tori into infinitely many self-adjoint compact operators on a Hilbert space defined on the circle using the toroidal coordinate system and the Fourier basis, and then by proving that the numerical range of infinitely many operators in the decomposition has both positive and negative values.