The Second Dirichlet Eigenvalue is Simple on Every Non-equilateral Triangle, Part II: Nearly Equilateral Triangles

Abstract

This paper solves the open problem of the simplicity of the second Dirichlet eigenvalue for nearly equilateral triangles, offering a complete solution to Conjecture 6.47 posed by R. Laugesen and B. Siudeja in A. Henrot's book ``Shape Optimization and Spectral Theory." Our proof is achieved by introducing a new difference quotient formula for the behavior of nearly degenerate eigenvalues resulting from domain perturbations, and a novel numerical algorithm that rigorously estimates it using verified computation.