Ideas in the theory of random media

These lectures discuss the ideas of localization, intermittency, and random fluctuations in the theory of random media. These ideas are compared and contrasted with the older approach based on averaging. Within this framework, the topics discussed include: Anderson localization, turbulent diffusion and flows, periodic Schrödinger operators and averaging theory, longwave oscillations of elastic random media, stochastic differential equations, the spectral theory of Hamiltonians with (an infinite sequence of) wells, random Schrödinger operators, electrons in a random homogeneous field, influence of localization effects on the propagation of elastic waves, the Lyapunov spectrum (Lyapunov exponents), the Furstenberg and Oseledec theorems for ann-tuple of identically distributed unimodular matrices and their relation with the spectral theory of random Schrödinger or string operators, Rossby waves, averaging on random Schrödinger operators, percolation mechanisms, the moments method in the theory of sequences of random variables, the evolution of a magnetic field in the turbulent flow of a conducting fluid or plasma (the so-called kinematical dynamo problem), heat transmission in a randomly flowing fluid.     

Comparison Theorems for the Spectral Gap of Diffusion Processes and Schrodinger Operators on an Interval

The spectral gaps and thus the exponential rates of convergenceto equilibrium are compared for ergodic one-dimensional diffusionson an interval. One of the results may be thought of as thediffusion analogue of a recent result for the spectral gap ofone-dimensional Schrödinger operators. The similaritiesand differences between spectral gap results for diffusionsand for Schrödinger operators are also discussed.     

Continuous integral kernels for unbounded Schrödinger semigroups and their spectral projections

By suitably extending a Feynman-Kac formula of Simon (Canad. Math. Soc. Conf. Proc. 28 (2000) 317), we study one-parameter semigroups generated by (the negative of) rather general Schrödinger operators, which may be unbounded from below and include a magnetic vector potential. In particular, a common domain of essential self-adjointness for such a semigroup is specified. Moreover, each member of the semigroup is proven to be a maximal Carleman operator with a continuous integral kernel given by a Brownian-bridge expectation. The results are used to show that the spectral projections of the generating Schrödinger operator also act as Carleman operators with continuous integral kernels. Applications to Schrödinger operators with rather general random scalar potentials include a rigorous justification of an integral-kernel representation of their integrated density of states—a relation frequently used in the physics literature on disordered solids.     

Sparse potentials with fractional Hausdorff dimension

We construct non-random bounded discrete half-line Schrödinger operators which have purely singular continuous spectral measures with fractional Hausdorff dimension (in some interval of energies). To do this we use suitable sparse potentials. Our results also apply to whole line operators, as well as to certain random operators. In the latter case we prove and compute an exact dimension of the spectral measures.     

Generalized Eigenfunctions for Waves in Inhomogeneous Media

Many wave propagation phenomena in classical physics are governed by equations that can be recast in Schrödinger form. In this approach the classical wave equation (e.g., Maxwell's equations, acoustic equation, elastic equation) is rewritten in Schrödinger form, leading to the study of the spectral theory of its classical wave operator, a self-adjoint, partial differential operator on a Hilbert space of vector-valued, square integrable functions. Physically interesting inhomogeneous media give rise to nonsmooth coefficients. We construct a generalized eigenfunction expansion for classical wave operators with nonsmooth coefficients. Our construction yields polynomially bounded generalized eigenfunctions, the set of generalized eigenvalues forming a subset of the operator's spectrum with full spectral measure.     

Schrödinger operators on graphs and geometry I: Essentially bounded potentials

The inverse spectral problem for Schrödinger operators on finite compact metric graphs is investigated. The relations between the spectral asymptotics and geometric properties of the underlying graph are studied. It is proven that the Euler characteristic of the graph can be calculated from the spectrum of the Schrödinger operator in the case of essentially bounded real potentials and standard boundary conditions at the vertices. Several generalizations of the presented results are discussed.     

Schrödinger operators and associated hyperbolic pencils

For a large class of Schrödinger operators, we introduce the hyperbolic quadratic pencils by making the coupling constant dependent on the energy in the very special way. For these pencils, many problems of scattering theory are significantly easier to study. Then, we give some applications to the original Schrödinger operators including one-dimensional Schrödinger operators with L²-operator-valued potentials, multidimensional Schrödinger operators with slowly decaying potentials.     

Schrödinger operators on periodic discrete graphs

We consider Schrödinger operators with periodic potentials on periodic discrete graphs. The spectrum of the Schrödinger operator consists of an absolutely continuous part (a union of a finite number of non-degenerated bands) plus a finite number of flat bands, i.e., eigenvalues of infinite multiplicity. We obtain estimates of the Lebesgue measure of the spectrum in terms of geometric parameters of the graph and show that they become identities for some class of graphs. Moreover, we obtain stability estimates and show the existence and positions of large number of flat bands for specific graphs. The proof is based on the Floquet theory and the precise representation of fiber Schrödinger operators, constructed in the paper.     

Spectral properties of a class of reflectionless Schrödinger operators

We prove that one-dimensional reflectionless Schrödinger operators with spectrum a homogeneous set in the sense of Carleson, belonging to the class introduced by Sodin and Yuditskii, have purely absolutely continuous spectra. This class includes all earlier examples of reflectionless almost periodic Schrödinger operators. In addition, we construct examples of reflectionless Schrödinger operators with more general types of spectra, given by the complement of a Denjoy-Widom-type domain in C, which exhibit a singular component.     

Essential spectrum and -solutions of one-dimensional Schrödinger operators

In 1949, Hartman and Wintner showed that if the eigenvalue equations of a one-dimensional Schrödinger operator possess square integrable solutions, then the essential spectrum is nowhere dense. Furthermore, they conjectured that this statement could be improved and that under this condition the essential spectrum might always be void. This is shown to be false. It is proved that, on the contrary, every closed, nowhere dense set does occur as the essential spectrum of Schrödinger operators which satisfy the condition of existence of -solutions. The proof of this theorem is based on inverse spectral theory.

     

Zero measure Cantor spectra for continuum one-dimensional quasicrystals

We study Schrödinger operators on R$\mathbb{R}$ with measures as potentials. Choosing a suitable subset of measures we can work with a dynamical system consisting of measures. We then relate properties of this dynamical system with spectral properties of the associated operators. The constant spectrum in the strictly ergodic case coincides with the union of the zeros of the Lyapunov exponent and the set of non-uniformities of the transfer matrices. This result enables us to prove Cantor spectra of zero Lebesgue measure for a large class of operator families, including many operator families generated by aperiodic subshifts.     

Schrödinger operators and de Branges spaces

We present an approach to de Branges's theory of Hilbert spaces of entire functions that emphasizes the connections to the spectral theory of differential operators. The theory is used to discuss the spectral representation of one-dimensional Schrödinger operators and to solve the inverse spectral problem.     

Asymptotic formulae with remainder estimates for eigenvalue branches of the Schrödinger operator

The Floquet theory provides a decomposition of a periodic
Schrödinger operator into a direct integral, over a torus, of operators on a basic period cell. In this paper, it is proved that the same transform establishes a unitary equivalence between a multiplier by a decaying potential and a pseudo-differential operator on the torus, with an operator-valued symbol. A formula for the symbol is given. As applications, precise remainder estimates and two-term asymptotic formulas for spectral problems for a perturbed periodic Schrödinger operator are obtained.

     

Isometries, Fock spaces, and spectral analysis of Schrödinger operators on trees

We construct conjugate operators for the real part of a completely non-unitary isometry and we give applications to the spectral and scattering theory of a class of operators on (complete) Fock spaces, natural generalizations of the Schrödinger operators on trees. We consider C^*-algebras generated by such Hamiltonians with certain types of anisotropy at infinity, we compute their quotient with respect to the ideal of compact operators, and give formulas for the essential spectrum of these Hamiltonians.     

Anderson localization and Lifshits tails for random surface potentials

We consider Schrödinger operators on L²(R^d) with a random potential concentrated near the surface R^d₁×{0}⊂R^d. We prove that the integrated density of states of such operators exhibits Lifshits tails near the bottom of the spectrum. From this and the multiscale analysis by Boutet de Monvel and Stollmann [Arch. Math. 80 (2003) 87-97] we infer Anderson localization (pure point spectrum and dynamical localization) for low energies. Our proof of Lifshits tails relies on spectral properties of Schrödinger operators with partially periodic potentials. In particular, we show that the lowest energy band of such operators is parabolic.     

Sharp Inequalities for Ratios of Partition Functions of Schrödinger Operators

This paper derives inequalities for multiple integrals from which inequalities for ratios of integrals of heat kernels of certain Schrödinger operators follows. Such ratio inequalities imply inequalities for the partition functions of these operators which extend the spectral gap results proved by R. Bañuelos and P. Méndez-Hernández and B. Davis.     

Strong resonant tunneling, level repulsion and spectral type for one-dimensional adiabatic quasi-periodic Schrödinger operators

In this paper, we consider one-dimensional adiabatic quasi-periodic Schrödinger operators in the regime of strong resonant tunneling. We show the emergence of a level repulsion phenomenon which is seen to be very naturally related to the local spectral type of the operator: the more singular the spectrum, the weaker the repulsion.     

Singularly perturbed elliptic systems

We study the existence and concentration behavior of positive solutions for a class of Hamiltonian systems (two coupled nonlinear stationary Schrödinger equations). Combining the Legendre–Fenchel transformation with mountain pass theorem, we prove the existence of a family of positive solutions concentrating at a point in the limit, where related functionals realize their minimum energy. In some cases, the location of the concentration point is given explicitly in terms of the potential functions of the stationary Schrödinger equations.     

Integrated Density of States For Random Metrics on Manifolds

We study ergodic random Schrödinger operators on a coveringmanifold, where the randomness enters both via the potentialand the metric. We prove measurability of the random operators,almost sure constancy of their spectral properties, the existenceof a self-averaging integrated density of states and a Pastur–ubintype trace formula. 2000 Mathematics Subjects Classification35J10, 58J35, 82B44.