REVIEW 2 major objections 4 minor 41 references
P\'{o}lya's conjecture for higher-dimensional Neumann balls
T0 review · 2 major / 4 minor · reviewed 2026-08-03 · deepseek-v4-flash
Pith's one-line read The paper proves Pólya's conjecture for the Neumann Laplacian on Euclidean balls in every dimension d ≥ 3.
desk verdict Independent, detailed proof of a theorem already covered by Li26; the new value is in the method, and the floor/ceiling gap in the computational section is real but likely patchable. read the letter →
The pith
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
The reading
What carries the argument
The central object is the family of zeros p'_{d,m,k} of derivatives of ultraspherical Bessel functions P_{d,m}(x)=x^{-(d/2-1)}J_{m+d/2-1}(x); the Neumann eigenvalues of B_d are their squares, weighted by spherical-harmonic multiplicities κ_{d,m}. The argument's load-bearing bound is p'_{d,m,k} < j'_{m+d/2-1,k}, which lets the counting function be bounded below by a lattice-point count involving G_λ(z)=π^{-1}(√(λ²-z²)-z arccos(z/λ)). Around this, the proof assembles: monotone envelope functions T_d(τ) for large frequencies; a variational principle for the first radial eigenvalue in each angular sector with two explicit test functions; and a rigorous bisection/enclosure algorithm in exact rati
What would settle it
Run an independent certified interval-arithmetic search for all zeros p'_{d,m,k} ≤ Λ*_d for d=3,...,12 and compare with the paper's Table 1 and the associated archived printout; any missing triple or any value failing inequality (5.4) would falsify the proof. A direct numerical search for a pair (d,λ) with N^N_{B_d}(λ) < w_d λ^d would falsify the theorem itself.
Extended reading notes
Core claim
The paper's central claim is that for every dimension d≥3 and every λ≥0, the Neumann counting function of the unit ball B_d satisfies N^N_{B_d}(λ) ≥ w_d λ^d, where w_d = 1/(2^d Γ(d/2+1)^2) is exactly the leading coefficient in Weyl's law. Since the Dirichlet analogue was already known for balls, this completes Pólya's conjecture for both boundary conditions on Euclidean balls in all dimensions. The proof is built on the fact that the Neumann eigenvalues of a ball are the squares of zeros p'_{d,m,k} of derivatives of ultraspherical Bessel functions, with multiplicities equal to dimensions of spaces of spherical harmonics. For large λ, the inequality p'_{d,m,k} < j'_{m+d/2-1,k} turns the count
Load-bearing premise
The load-bearing premise is that the computer-assisted enumeration in Section 5 correctly lists every eigenvalue below the cut-off for dimensions 3 through 12; if a single zero is missed or a rational bound in the supporting table is wrong, the finite gap remains open.
Editorial extensions
If this is right
- For every unit ball B_d with d≥2 and every λ≥0, the counting inequality N^N_{B_d}(λ) ≥ w_d λ^d holds; equivalently, each Neumann eigenvalue satisfies μ_n(B_d)^d ≤ ((n−1)/w_d)^2.
- Euclidean balls become the principal non-tiling example for which both Pólya conjectures — Dirichlet and Neumann — are fully settled in arbitrary dimension.
- For dimensions d≥61 the proof is entirely analytic: the monotone envelope T_d is positive already at τ=1, so no gap-filling computation is needed there.
- The certified enumeration closes the finite ranges in dimensions 3 through 12, so the theorem is unconditional provided those certified computations are accepted.
Reading between the lines
- Beyond the paper: the same G_λ lattice-count mechanism, with zeros of ordinary Bessel derivatives as comparison objects, should transfer to other rotationally symmetric Neumann problems whose eigenfunctions are Bessel-type, such as spherical shells or sectors; this is a natural test of the method's reach.
- Beyond the paper: the dimension-dependent variational test functions suggest that the low-frequency control can be pushed further; optimizing them could shrink or eliminate the computer-assisted gap, perhaps yielding a fully analytic proof for all d.
- Beyond the paper: since w_d is the exact Weyl constant, Theorem 1.1 implies that for balls the leading asymptotic term is also a uniform lower bound; this sharpens the expected form of remainder estimates and might inform conjectures about optimal constants in Weyl-type inequalities for other domains.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper proves Pólya's conjecture for the Neumann Laplacian on the unit ball in R^d for every d≥3: N^N_{B_d}(λ) ≥ w_d λ^d for all λ≥0, with w_d = 1/(2^d Γ(d/2+1)^2). The proof combines three ingredients: a large-λ argument comparing zeros of derivatives of ultraspherical Bessel functions with zeros of ordinary Bessel derivative zeros and reducing to weighted lattice-point estimates; new variational estimates for low-lying eigenvalues using dimension-dependent test functions; and a rigorous computer-assisted enumeration of the remaining finite ranges for d=3,...,12 using exact rational arithmetic and certified enclosures. Together with the authors' earlier work [FLPS23], this would establish the Neumann Pólya conjecture for balls in all dimensions d≥2.
Significance. This is a substantial result: the Neumann case of Pólya's conjecture for Euclidean balls has been open in higher dimensions, and the paper gives a coherent strategy with separated analytic and computational components. The paper is unusually transparent: the large-λ estimates, the low-λ variational bounds, and the finite verification are cleanly separated; the computational part uses exact rational arithmetic, explicit enclosure lemmas, and stated certification procedures. The novel dimension-dependent variational test functions in §4 are an interesting ingredient in their own right. The proof relies on a number of technical results imported from the authors' own earlier papers [FLPS23, FLPS24b], and the finite verification depends on externally supplied data; these are normal features of this type of argument but require careful checking.
major comments (2)
- [§5, Eq. (5.4); §2.3] The finite-gap verification is incomplete as written. First, (5.4) takes its maximum only over the enumerated zeros i=2,...,K_d. For λ in the interval [p'_{K_d}, Λ*_d] the counting function is constant equal to N_{B_d}^N(Λ*_d), and Pólya's inequality at λ=Λ*_d requires N_{B_d}^N(Λ*_d) ≥ w_d Λ*_d^d; this is not implied by the check at the last enumerated zero unless that zero lies within the tolerance of Λ*_d. A virtual endpoint term with p'=Λ*_d and n=N(Λ*_d)+1 must be added to (5.4). Second, the definition of Λ*_d is ambiguous: if Λ*_d is the floor of τ*_d^3 d^{3/2}, then MAIN(d, Λ*_d, 1/100) enumerates only zeros up to Λ*_d, while Theorem 3.1 starts only at λ > τ*_d^3 d^{3/2}, leaving the interval (Λ*_d, τ*_d^3 d^{3/2}) unverified. The authors should state explicitly that Λ*_d is the ceiling (or otherwise close this interval) and add the endpoint check. The margins in Table 1 suggest t
- [§5 and Data availability statement] The exact rational certificates justifying (5.4) are not included in the paper; Table 1 gives only decimal approximations, and Appendix D describes the algorithm but not its full output. The Mathematica script is available only on an author's personal website, without a version identifier or permanent archive. Since the theorem depends on these computations, the manuscript should include the exact output, or the reproducing script and printout should be archived as supplementary material with a stable DOI or commit hash. As submitted, the computer-assisted component cannot be independently checked by the reader.
minor comments (4)
- [§3.1, Theorem 3.1] The 'explicit verified rational approximations' showing T61(1)>10^{-4} and T13(28/25)>10^{-3} are not displayed. Please include the exact values or point to a table where they can be found.
- [§4.4 and §C.9] Numerical evaluations such as 𝔉_4≈1.07496 and 𝔉_{11}≈1.08168 are presented with '≈' symbols. If these are certified rational enclosures, this should be stated explicitly; otherwise they are not part of a rigorous proof.
- [§4.2] The line 'μ_2(B_d) ≤ d+2 ≤ w_d^{-2/d} d' appears to contain an extra 'd' after w_d^{-2/d}; please clarify the intended inequality.
- [Keywords] 'derivaives' should be 'derivatives'.
Circularity Check
No significant circularity: the central theorem is derived from published independent lemmas and explicit computations, not assumed.
full rationale
The paper does not reduce Theorem 1.1 to its own target statement. The spectral representation (2.2) is exact; the key zero-comparison (2.3) is Spigler's external bound; the lattice-point lower bound (3.2) cites [FLPS24b, Theorem 1.10] and [FLPS23, Proposition 3.1], which are published, independent results about Bessel-function zero counting, not equivalent to the Neumann Pólya inequality for balls. The large-frequency argument then combines explicit estimates for the auxiliary functions T_{d,j} with standard combinatorial identities (Appendix B) and external analytic tools such as Lampret's Wallis-ratio bound and the Lorch-Szego spacing theorem. The low-frequency part uses explicit variational test functions; the constants and the split at tau* = 28/25 are choices of proof strategy, not fitted values that are later renamed as predictions. The finite gap in dimensions 3 through 12 is closed by a direct certified computation: Procedure MAIN constructs rational enclosures for every relevant zero and then verifies inequality (5.4) exactly. This is an exhaustive computation, not an importation of the conclusion. The possible issues raised about the unarchived Mathematica script or the exact meaning of the floor/ceiling in Lambda*_d are correctness and verification concerns, not circularity: they do not exhibit an equation in which the theorem is assumed by construction. Self-citations appear, but they cite previously published, independently checkable technical statements rather than the present theorem, so they do not raise the circularity score.
Assumptions & free parameters
free parameters (3)
- τ* =
28/25
- τ^− and τ^+ low-λ interval endpoints =
4/5 and 28/25 (33/40 for d=3)
- Exponent and constants in test function ρ(x) =
3/2; 1 and 2/d
assumptions (4)
- standard math Zeros p'_{d,m,k} interlace with Bessel zeros and satisfy p'_{d,m,k} < j'_{m+d/2-1,k} (Lemma 2.2, from [Sp78]).
- domain assumption The lattice-point estimate (3.2) reducing Ñ^N to a weighted sum of G_λ (Theorem 1.10 of [FLPS24b]) is correct.
- standard math Lorch–Szegő spacing bound j_{ν,k} - j_{ν,k-1} > π > 3.
- ad hoc to paper Procedure MAIN and Table 1 in §5 correctly certify the finite ranges for d=3,...,12.
Cite this review
Pith. "Pith review of P\'{o}lya's conjecture for higher-dimensional Neumann balls." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/CFTECAZI
@misc{pith2026260729305,
author = {Pith},
title = {Pith review of: P\'olya's conjecture for higher-dimensional Neumann balls},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/CFTECAZI}},
note = {Machine review of arXiv:2607.29305}
}
read the original abstract
We prove P\'olya's conjecture for the Neumann eigenvalues of the Laplacian on Euclidean balls in dimensions three and higher. The proof further develops the approach introduced in our earlier work on the two-dimensional case and on Dirichlet eigenvalues in arbitrary dimensions. The main difficulty in the higher dimensional Neumann case is that one has to estimate zeros of the derivatives of ultraspherical Bessel functions, rather than of the usual Bessel functions. For low-lying eigenvalues, we use variational estimates involving dimension-dependent test functions, which is a novel ingredient allowing us to control a larger dimension-scaled frequency range. Other components of the proof include phase-function bounds, lattice-point counting techniques, and computer-assisted arguments.
Figures
Figures from the paper (4 more)
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[1]
K. Atkinson and W. Han, Spherical harmonics and approximations on the unit sphere: an introduction. Lecture Notes in Mathematics 2044, Springer, Heidelberg, 2012. 10.1007/978-3-642-25983-8
- [2]
- [3]
-
[4]
J. Dahne and B. Salvy, Computation of tight enclosures for Laplacian eigenvalues. SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 42:5 (2020), A3210--A3232. 10.1137/20M1326520
-
[5]
Release 1.1.1 of 2021- 03-15
NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions, dlmf.nist.gov https://dlmf.nist.gov. Release 1.1.1 of 2021- 03-15. F. W. J. Olver, A. B. Olde Daalhuis, D. W. Lozier, B. I. Schneider, R. F. Boisvert, C. W. Clark, B. R. Miller, B. V. Saunders, H. S. Cohl, and M. A. McClain, eds
2021
-
[6]
N. Filonov, M. Levitin, I. Polterovich, and D. A. Sher, P\'olya's conjecture for Euclidean balls. Invent. Math. 234 (2023), 129--169. 10.1007/s00222-023-01198-1
-
[7]
N. Filonov, M. Levitin, I. Polterovich, and D. A. Sher, Inequalities \` a la P\' o lya for the Aharonov--Bohm eigenvalues of the disk . J. Spectr. Theory 14:2 (2024), 597--618. 10.4171/JST/506
-
[8]
N. Filonov, M. Levitin, I. Polterovich, and D. A. Sher, Uniform enclosures for the phase and zeros of Bessel functions and their derivatives. SIAM J. Math. Anal. 56:6 (2024), 7644--7682. 10.1137/24M1642032
Show all 41 references
-
[9]
Filonov, M
N. Filonov, M. Levitin, I. Polterovich, and D. A. Sher, P\' o lya's conjecture for Dirichlet eigenvalues of annuli . J. London Math. Soc. 113:2 (2026), e70425. 10.1112/jlms.70425
2026 doi
-
[10]
Freitas and I
P. Freitas and I. Salavessa, Families of non-tiling domains satisfying P\'olya's conjecture. J. Math. Phys. 64:12 (2023), 121503. 10.1063/5.0161050
2023 doi
-
[11]
Z. Gan, R. Jiang, and F.-H. Lin, The improved Berezin--Li--Yau inequality and Kr\" o ger inequality and consequences . Sci. China Math. (2026). 10.1007/s11425-025-2522-x
2026 doi
-
[12]
G\'omez-Serrano, Computer-assisted proofs in PDE: a survey
J. G\'omez-Serrano, Computer-assisted proofs in PDE: a survey. SeMA J. 76:3 (2019), 459--484. 10.1007/s40324-019-00186-x
2019 doi
-
[13]
J. Guo, T. Jiang, Z. Wang, and X. Yang, Bessel functions and Weyl's law for balls and spherical shells. Preprint (2024), to appear in Adv.\ Math. 2412.14059
2024 arXiv
-
[14]
J. Guo, C. Miao, W. Wang, and G. Zhan, Improvement of P\'olya's conjecture for balls and cylinders. Preprint (2025). 2511.17050
2025
-
[15]
He and Z
X. He and Z. Wang, P\'olya's conjecture for thin products. Preprint (2024). 2402.12093
2024 arXiv
-
[16]
E. K. Ifantis and P. D. Siafarikas, A differential equation for the positive zeros of the function J_ (z) + z J'_ (z) . Z. Analysis Anwend. 7:2 (1988), 195--192. 10.4171/ZAA/295
1988 doi
-
[17]
V. Ya. Ivrii, Second term of the spectral asymptotic expansion of the Laplace--Beltrami operator on manifolds with boundary. Funct. Anal. Its Appl. 14 (1980), 98--106. 10.1007/BF01086550
1980 doi
-
[18]
Jiang, A note on zeros of derivatives of ultraspherical Bessel functions
T. Jiang, A note on zeros of derivatives of ultraspherical Bessel functions. J. Math. Anal. Appl. 559:2 (2026), article 130483. 10.1016/j.jmaa.2026.130483
2026
-
[19]
Jiang and F.-H
R. Jiang and F.-H. Lin, P\'olya's conjecture up to -loss and quantitative estimates for the remainder of Weyl's law. Preprint (2025). 2507.04307
2025 arXiv
-
[20]
Kellner, On a theorem of Polya
R. Kellner, On a theorem of Polya. Amer. Math. Monthly 73:8 (1966), 856--858. 10.2307/2314181
1966 doi
-
[21]
Kr\" o ger, Upper bounds for the Neumann eigenvalues on a bounded domain in Euclidean space, J
P. Kr\" o ger, Upper bounds for the Neumann eigenvalues on a bounded domain in Euclidean space, J. Funct. Anal. 106:2 (1992), 353--357. 10.1016/0022-1236(92)90052-K
1992 doi
-
[22]
N. V. Kuznecov and B. V. Fedosov, An asymptotic formula for eigenvalues of a circular membrane, Differ. Uravn. 1 (1965), 1682--1685. Full text (in Russian) on Mathnet.ru http://mi.mathnet.ru/eng/de9398
1965
-
[23]
L. J. Landau, Ratios of Bessel functions and roots of J_ (x) + x J'_ (x) = 0 . J. Math. Anal. Appl. 240:1 (1999), 174--204. 10.1006/jmaa.1999.6608
1999
-
[24]
Lampret, Double asymptotic inequalities for the generalized Wallis ratio
V. Lampret, Double asymptotic inequalities for the generalized Wallis ratio. CUBO A Mathematical Journal 26 (2024), no. 1, 21--32. 10.56754/0719-0646.2601.021
2024
-
[25]
Laptev, Dirichlet and Neumann eigenvalue problems on domains in Euclidean spaces
A. Laptev, Dirichlet and Neumann eigenvalue problems on domains in Euclidean spaces. J. Funct. Anal. 151:2 (1997), 531--545. 10.1006/jfan.1997.3155
1997
-
[26]
Levitin, D
M. Levitin, D. Mangoubi, and I. Polterovich, Topics in spectral geometry. Graduate Studies in Mathematics 237. American Math. Soc., Providence, R.I., 2022. 10.1090/gsm/237
2022 doi
-
[27]
Li, P\' o lya's conjecture for the Neumann Laplacian on Euclidean balls
Y. Li, P\' o lya's conjecture for the Neumann Laplacian on Euclidean balls . Preprint (2026). 2607.25958
2026 arXiv
-
[28]
Li and S.-T
P. Li and S.-T. Yau, On the Schr\" o dinger equation and the eigenvalue problem . Comm. Math. Phys. 88 (1983), 309--318. 10.1007/BF01213210
1983 doi
-
[29]
Lorch and M
L. Lorch and M. E. Muldoon, Transcendentality of zeros of higher derivatives of functions involving Bessel functions. Internat. J. Math. Math. Sci. 18:3 (1995), no. 3, 407--410. 10.1155/S0161171295000706
1995 doi
-
[30]
Lorch and P
L. Lorch and P. Szego, Monotonicity of the differences of zeros of Bessel functions as a function of order. Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 15:1 (1964), 91--96. 10.2307/2034357
1964 doi
-
[31]
Lorch and P
L. Lorch and P. Szego, Bounds and monotonicities for the zeros of derivatives of ultraspherical Bessel functions, SIAM J. Math. Anal. 25:2 (1994), 549--554. 10.1137/S0036141092231458
1994 doi
-
[32]
M. T. Nakao, M. Plum, and Y. Watanabe, Numerical Verification Methods and Computer-Assisted Proofs for Partial Differential Equations. Springer Series in Computational Mathematics 53, Springer, Singapore, 2019
2019
-
[33]
P\' a lmai and B
T. P\' a lmai and B. Apagyi, Interlacing of positive real zeros of Bessel functions, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 375 (2011), 320--322. 10.1016/j.jmaa.2010.09.024
2011 doi
-
[34]
P\' o lya, Mathematics and plausible reasoning, in two volumes, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N
G. P\' o lya, Mathematics and plausible reasoning, in two volumes, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. J., 1954. 10.1515/9780691218304
1954 doi
-
[35]
P\' o lya, On the eigenvalues of vibrating membranes, Proc
G. P\' o lya, On the eigenvalues of vibrating membranes, Proc. London Math. Soc. (3) 11 (1961), 419--433. 10.1112/plms/s3-11.1.419
1961 doi
-
[36]
Safarov and D
Yu. Safarov and D. Vassiliev, The asymptotic distribution of eigenvalues of partial differential operators. Translations of Mathematical Monographs 155. Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, 1997. 10.1090/mmono/155
1997 doi
-
[37]
Spigler, Sulle radici dell'equazione AC_ (x)+BxC_ '(x)=0
R. Spigler, Sulle radici dell'equazione AC_ (x)+BxC_ '(x)=0 . Atti Sem. Mat. Fis. Univ. Modena 27 (1978), 153--166
1978
-
[38]
Tucker, Validated Numerics: A Short Introduction to Rigorous Computations
W. Tucker, Validated Numerics: A Short Introduction to Rigorous Computations. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2011
2011
-
[39]
G. N. Watson, A treatise on the theory of Bessel functions. Cambridge University Press, London, New York, 1966
1966
-
[40]
U ber die asymptotische Verteilung der Eigenwerte , Nachrichten der K\
H. Weyl, \" U ber die asymptotische Verteilung der Eigenwerte , Nachrichten der K\" o niglichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu G\" o ttingen (1911), 110--117. Full text available at Deutsche-Digitale-Bibliothek https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/6UVSESS27CGNB...
1911
-
[41]
Weyl, Das asymptotische Verteilungsgesetz linearen partiellen Differentialgleichungen, Math
H. Weyl, Das asymptotische Verteilungsgesetz linearen partiellen Differentialgleichungen, Math. Ann. 71 (1912), 441--479. 10.1007/BF01456804
1912 doi
Reviewed August 3, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.
Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.