Diagonal monomial action of a second-order Euler operator ($x^2{\partial }_x^2+y^2{\partial }_y^2$)

The monomial $x^i{y}^j$ is an eigenvector of the differential linear operator $x^2{\partial }_x^2+y^2{\partial }_y^2$, with eigenvalue $i(i-1)+j(j-1)$. Over the real or complex numbers this vanishes exactly for $i,j\in \{0,1\}$. On polynomials of bounded total degree, the kernel is therefore spanned by the permitted members of $1,x,y,xy$, while the image of a linear map is spanned by all remaining monomials. The trace is the sum of those diagonal eigenvalues.