In an exciting development, mathematicians have finally proved George Pólya’s famous conjecture regarding the eigenvalues of a disk, a problem that has puzzled researchers for over 70 years. By utilizing spectral geometry, the team, led by Iosif Polterovich from Université de Montréal, demonstrated the validity of the conjecture for this challenging case. This groundbreaking achievement not only contributes to theoretical mathematics but also has promising applications in computational and numerical studies. Polterovich emphasizes the universal nature of mathematics, comparing the quest for solutions to sports and art. The researchers’ innovative approach opens up new possibilities for further exploration in the field.
https://phys.org/news/2024-03-mathematicians-plya-conjecture-eigenvalues-disk.html