For a nonzero separable solution , separation of variables givesThese Dirichlet boundary conditions follow because is not identically zero. If , the affine function obeys both conditions only when . If , also has only the zero solution under both conditions.
For , . The first boundary condition forces , and the second forces for a nonzero solution. Hence all nonzero spatial modes areThe identically zero function is also a solution. Allowing includes it in the displayed family. Here is the interval length and labels the eigenvalues of the operator with these boundary conditions.