Explicit Eigensolutions to the Laplace Operator
2024 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (degree of Bachelor), 10 credits / 15 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
This paper derives explicit eigensolutions of the Laplace operator, whose eigenvalue problem is also called the Helmholtz equation. Specifically, the paper showcases all geometries through which the solutions to the Helmholtz equation can be represented in a finite sinusoidal form. These geometries are the rectangle, the square, the isosceles right triangle, the equilateral triangle, and the hemi-equilateral triangle. As a counterexample, the paper also proves that the parallelogram cannot yield a product form of a solution through the method of separation of variables. The solutions for the isosceles triangle and the hemi-equilateral triangle are derived using symmetric properties of the square and the equilateral triangle.
The paper concludes that symmetry is crucial to solving the Laplacian for these geometries and that this symmetry is also reflected in their respective spectra. However, importantly, the spectrum is unique for the examined geometries.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2024.
Series
TRITA-SCI-GRU ; 2024:182
Keywords [en]
Laplace operator, eigenvalue problem, Helmholtz equation, explicit solution
National Category
Mathematics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-349375OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-349375DiVA, id: diva2:1880412
Educational program
Master of Science in Engineering -Engineering Physics
Supervisors
Examiners
2024-07-012024-07-012024-07-01Bibliographically approved