Computing eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the Laplacian for convex polygons

Recently a new transform method, called the Unified Transform or the Fokas method, for solving boundary value problems (BVPs) for linear and integrable nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) has received a lot of attention. For linear elliptic PDEs, this method yields two equations, known as the global relations, coupling the Dirichlet and Neumann boundary values. These equations can be used in a collocation method to determine the Dirichlet to Neumann map. This involves expanding the unknown functions in terms of a suitable basis, and choosing a set of collocation points at which to evaluate the global relations. Here, using these methods for the Helmholtz and modified Helmholtz equations and following the earlier results of [15], we determine eigenvalues of the Laplacian in a convex polygon. Eigenvalues are characterised by the points where the generalised Dirichlet to Neumann map becomes singular. We find that the method yields spectral convergence for eigenfunctions smooth on the boundary and for non-smooth boundary values, the rate of convergence is determined by the rate of convergence of expansions in the chosen Legendre basis. Extensions to the case of oblique derivative boundary conditions and constant coefficient elliptic PDEs are also discussed and demonstrated. (C) 2017 IMACS. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.