Improved Berezin--Li--Yau Bounds for Dirichlet Eigenvalues via Fourier Coupling and Frequency Concentration

Abstract

Let $0<λ_1\leqλ_2\leq\cdots$ be the Dirichlet eigenvalues of an open set $Ω\subset\mathbb R^n$, $n\geq2$. We develop two Fourier-space refinements of the Berezin--Li--Yau argument. For every finite-measure open set, coordinate commutator identities and coupled scalar--vector projections lead to a one-dimensional variational constant $C_n^{\mathrm{new}}$ and the individual bound \[ λ_k\geq C_n^{\mathrm{new}}(2π)^2ω_n^{-2/n} |Ω|^{-2/n}k^{2/n}, \qquad \frac{n}{n+2}<c_n^{\mathrm{env}}<C_n^{\mathrm{new}}<1. \] Here $n/(n+2)$ is the classical Li--Yau individual coefficient and $c_n^{\mathrm{env}}$ is the coefficient associated with the uncoupled scalar envelope developed in our previous paper. Thus the displayed strict hierarchy separates the gain of the scalar energy envelope from the further gain supplied by the commutator coupling. For bounded open sets, a frequency-concentration operator, its first two traces, and the Ky Fan principle force Fourier mass outside the Li--Yau filling ball. A two-region bathtub argument then gives \[ \sum_{j=1}^kλ_j \geq \mathcal C_k^{(2)}(Ω) \frac{n}{n+2}(2π)^2ω_n^{-2/n} |Ω|^{-2/n}k^{1+2/n}, \qquad \mathcal C_k^{(2)}(Ω)>1, \] where $\mathcal C_k^{(2)}(Ω)$ is strictly decreasing in $k$ and converges to one, and \[ \mathcal C_k^{(2)}(Ω)-1\geq \frac{n+2}{2(n+1)^2} \left(\frac{ω_{n-1}}{ω_n}\right)^2 \left(\frac34\right)^{n-1}k^{-2/n}. \] Thus the sharp leading term in the Berezin--Li--Yau sum is supplemented by an explicit positive, volume-only correction of order $k$. Apart from boundedness in the concentration argument, no boundary regularity, convexity, or connectedness is assumed. These improvements do not prove Pólya&#39;s conjecture: the individual coefficient is below one, and the sum multiplier tends to one.