The Pauli Objection

Schrödinger’s equation says that the Hamiltonian is the generator of time translations. This seems to imply that any reasonable definition of time operator must be conjugate to the Hamiltonian. Then both time and energy must have the same spectrum since conjugate operators are unitarily equivalent. Clearly this is not always true: normal Hamiltonians have lower bounded spectrum and often only have discrete eigenvalues, whereas we typically desire that time can take any real value. Pauli concluded that constructing a general a time operator is impossible (although clearly it can be done in specific cases). Here we show how the Pauli argument fails when one uses an external system (a “clock”) to track time, so that time arises as correlations between the system and the clock (conditional probability amplitudes framework). In this case, the time operator is conjugate to the clock Hamiltonian and not to the system Hamiltonian, but its eigenvalues still satisfy the Schrödinger equation for arbitrary system Hamiltonians.     

Spectra of Schrödinger Operators on Equilateral Quantum Graphs

We consider magnetic Schrödinger operators on quantum graphs with identical edges. The spectral problem for the quantum graph is reduced to the discrete magnetic Laplacian on the underlying combinatorial graph and a certain Hill operator. In particular, it is shown that the spectrum on the quantum graph is the preimage of the combinatorial spectrum under a certain entire function. Using this Correspondence we show that the number of gaps in the spectrum of the Schrödinger operators admits an estimate from below in terms of the Hill operator independently of the graph structure.     

Quasidistributions and coherent states for finite-dimensional quantum systems

In recent years, an approach to discrete quantum phase spaces which comprehends all the main quasiprobability distributions known has been developed. It is the research that started with the pioneering work of Galetti and Piza, where the idea of operator bases constructed of discrete Fourier transforms of unitary displacement operators was first introduced. Subsequently, the discrete coherent states were introduced, and finally, the s-parametrized distributions, that include the Wigner, Husimi, and Glauber–Sudarshan distribution functions as particular cases. In the present work, we adapt its formulation to encompass some additional discrete symmetries, achieving an elegant yet physically sound formalism.     

Dynamical Localization for Unitary Anderson Models

This paper establishes dynamical localization properties of certain families of unitary random operators on the d-dimensional lattice in various regimes. These operators are generalizations of one-dimensional physical models of quantum transport and draw their name from the analogy with the discrete Anderson model of solid state physics. They consist in a product of a deterministic unitary operator and a random unitary operator. The deterministic operator has a band structure, is absolutely continuous and plays the role of the discrete Laplacian. The random operator is diagonal with elements given by i.i.d. random phases distributed according to some absolutely continuous measure and plays the role of the random potential. In dimension one, these operators belong to the family of CMV-matrices in the theory of orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle. We implement the method of Aizenman-Molchanov to prove exponential decay of the fractional moments of the Green function for the unitary Anderson model in the following three regimes: In any dimension, throughout the spectrum at large disorder and near the band edges at arbitrary disorder and, in dimension one, throughout the spectrum at arbitrary disorder. We also prove that exponential decay of fractional moments of the Green function implies dynamical localization, which in turn implies spectral localization. These results complete the analogy with the self-adjoint case where dynamical localization is known to be true in the same three regimes.     

Dirac Operators on Taub-NUT Space: Relationship and Discrete Transformations

It is shown that the N = 4 superalgebra of the Dirac theory in Taub-NUT space has different unitary representations related among themselves through unitary U(2) transformations. In particular the SU(2) transformations are generated by the spin-like operators constructed with the help of the same covariantly constant Killing-Yano tensors which generate Dirac-type operators. A parity operator is defined and some explicit transformations which connect the Dirac-type operators among themselves are given. These transformations form a discrete group which is a realization of the quaternion discrete group. The fifth Dirac operator constructed using the non-covariant constant Killing-Yano tensor of the Taub-NUT space is quite special. This non-standard Dirac operator is connected with the hidden symmetry and is not equivalent to the Dirac-type operators of the standard N = 4 supersymmetry.     

Weighted Estimations from a Conjugate Operator

In this Letter we develop a general procedure leading from a Mourre-type estimation for a given self-adjoint operator H to a Hardy-type weighted inequality. We use this method in order to prove exponential decay for eigenvectors of a large class of perturbations of operators of convolution with bounded analytic functions.     

Inverse Spectral Problem with Partial Information¶on the Potential: The Case of the Whole Real Line

The Schrödinger operator -d²/dx²+q(x)-d^2/dx^2+q(x) is considered on the real axis. We discuss the inverse spectral problem where discrete spectrum and the potential on the positive half-axis determine the potential completely. We do not impose any restrictions on the growth of the potential but only assume that the operator is bounded from below, has discrete spectrum, and the potential obeys q(-|x|) 3 q(|x|)q(-|x|)\geq q(|x|). Under these assertions we prove that the potential for xS 0 and the spectrum of the problem uniquely determine the potential on the whole real axis. Also, we study the uniqueness under slightly different conditions on the potential. The method employed uses Weyl m-function techniques and asymptotic behavior of the Herglotz functions.     

Semiclassical Resolvent Estimates for Trapping Perturbations

We study the semiclassical estimates of the resolvent of a self-adjoint operator L(h) in the space of bounded operators . In the general case of long-range trapping “black-box” perturbations we prove that the estimate of the cut-off resolvent implies the estimate . Received: 15 November 1999 / Accepted: 1 March 2000     

Schrödinger Operators with Few Bound States

We show that whole-line Schrödinger operators with finitely many bound states have no embedded singular spectrum. In contradistinction, we show that embedded singular spectrum is possible even when the bound states approach the essential spectrum exponentially fast. We also prove the following result for one- and two-dimensional Schrödinger operators, H, with bounded positive ground states: Given a potential V, if both H±V are bounded from below by the ground-state energy of H, then V≡0.D. D. was supported in part by NSF grant DMS–0227289.R. K. was supported in part by NSF grant DMS–0401277.B. S. was supported in part by NSF grant DMS–0140592.     

Realization of the three-dimensional quantum Euclidean space by differential operators

The three-dimensional quantum Euclidean space is an example of a non-commutative space that is obtained from Euclidean space by q-deformation. Simultaneously, angular momentum is deformed to , it acts on the q-Euclidean space that becomes a -module algebra this way. In this paper it is shown, that this algebra can be realized by differential operators acting on functions on . On a factorspace of a scalar product can be defined that leads to a Hilbert space, such that the action of the differential operators is defined on a dense set in this Hilbert space and algebraically self-adjoint becomes self-adjoint for the linear operator in the Hilbert space. The self-adjoint coordinates have discrete eigenvalues, the spectrum can be considered as a q-lattice. Received: 27 June 2000 / Published online: 9 August 2000     

On the Inverse Scattering Problem for Jacobi Matrices¶with the Spectrum on an Interval, a Finite System¶of Intervals or a Cantor Set of Positive Length

When solving the inverse scattering problem for a discrete Sturm–Liouville operator with a rapidly decreasing potential, one gets reflection coefficients s _± and invertible operators , where is the Hankel operator related to the symbol s _±. The Marchenko–Faddeev theorem [8] (in the continuous case, for the discrete case see [4, 6]), guarantees the uniqueness of the solution of the inverse scattering problem. In this article we ask the following natural question – can one find a precise condition guaranteeing that the inverse scattering problem is uniquely solvable and that operators are invertible? Can one claim that uniqueness implies invertibility or vise versa? Moreover, we are interested here not only in the case of decreasing potential but also in the case of asymptotically almost periodic potentials. So we merge here two mostly developed cases of the inverse problem for Sturm–Liouville operators: the inverse problem with (almost) periodic potential and the inverse problem with the fast decreasing potential. Received: 7 September 2001 / Accepted: 3 December 2001     

Localization of Classical Waves II: Electromagnetic Waves

We consider electromagnetic waves in a medium described by a position dependent dielectric constant . We assume that is a random perturbation of a periodic function and that the periodic Maxwell operator has a gap in the spectrum, where . We prove the existence of localized waves, i.e., finite energy solutions of Maxwell's equations with the property that almost all of the wave's energy remains in a fixed bounded region of space at all times. Localization of electromagnetic waves is a consequence of Anderson localization for the self-adjoint operators . We prove that, in the random medium described by , the random operator exhibits Anderson localization inside the gap in the spectrum of . This is shown even in situations when the gap is totally filled by the spectrum of the random operator; we can prescribe random environments that ensure localization in almost the whole gap. Received: 1 July 1996 / Accepted: 15 August 1996     

Uniform Spectral Properties of One-Dimensional Quasicrystals,II. The Lyapunov Exponent

In this Letter we introduce a method that allows one to prove uniform local results for one-dimensional discrete Schrödinger operators with Sturmian potentials. We apply this method to the transfer matrices in order to study the Lyapunov exponent and the growth rate of eigenfunctions. This gives uniform vanishing of the Lyapunov exponent on the spectrum for all irrational rotation numbers. For irrational rotation numbers with bounded continued fraction expansion, it gives uniform existence of the Lyapunov exponent on the whole complex plane. Moreover, it yields uniform polynomial upper bounds on the growth rate of transfer matrices for irrational rotation numbers with bounded density. In particular, all our results apply to the Fibonacci case.     

Internal modes of discrete solitons near the anti-continuum limit of the dNLS equation

Discrete solitons of the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger (dNLS) equation are compactly supported in the anti-continuum limit of the zero coupling between lattice sites. Eigenvalues of the linearization of the dNLS equation at the discrete soliton determine its spectral stability. Small eigenvalues bifurcating from the zero eigenvalue near the anti-continuum limit were characterized earlier for this model. Here we analyze the resolvent operator and prove that it is bounded in the neighborhood of the continuous spectrum if the discrete soliton is simply connected in the anti-continuum limit. This result rules out the existence of internal modes (neutrally stable eigenvalues of the discrete spectrum) near the anti-continuum limit.     

Asymptotic Behaviour of the Spectrum of a Waveguide with Distant Perturbations

We consider a quantum waveguide modelled by an infinite straight tube with arbitrary cross-section in n-dimensional space. The operator we study is the Dirichlet Laplacian perturbed by two distant perturbations. The perturbations are described by arbitrary abstract operators “localized” in a certain sense. We study the asymptotic behaviour of the discrete spectrum of such system as the distance between the “supports” of localized perturbations tends to infinity. The main results are a convergence theorem and the asymptotics expansions for the eigenvalues. The asymptotic behaviour of the associated eigenfunctions is described as well. We provide a list of the operators, which can be chosen as distant perturbations. In particular, the distant perturbations may be a potential, a second order differential operator, a magnetic Schrödinger operator, an arbitrary geometric deformation of the straight waveguide, a delta interaction, and an integral operator.     

Spectral properties of one-dimensional Schrödinger operators with potentials generated by substitutions

We investigate one-dimensional discrete Schrödinger operators whose potentials are invariant under a substitution rule. The spectral properties of these operators can be obtained from the analysis of a dynamical system, called the trace map. We give a careful derivation of these maps in the general case and exhibit some specific properties. Under an additional, easily verifiable ypothesis concerning the structure of the trace map we present an analysis of their dynamical properties that allows us to prove that the spectrum of the underlying Schrödinger operator is singular and supported on a set of zero Lebesgue measure. A condition allowing to exclude point spectrum is also given. The application of our theorems is explained on a series of examples.     

Singular Density of States Measure for Subshift and Quasi-Periodic Schrödinger Operators

Simon’s subshift conjecture states that for every aperiodic minimal subshift of Verblunsky coefficients, the common essential support of the associated measures has zero Lebesgue measure. We disprove this conjecture in this paper, both in the form stated and in the analogous formulation of it for discrete Schrödinger operators. In addition we prove a weak version of the conjecture in the Schrödinger setting. Namely, under some additional assumptions on the subshift, we show that the density of states measure, a natural measure associated with the operator family and whose topological support is equal to the spectrum, is singular. We also consider one-frequency quasi-periodic Schrödinger operators with continuous sampling functions and show that generically, the density of states measure is singular as well.     

Spectral Gap for a Class of Random Billiards

A random billiard is a random dynamical system similar to an ordinary billiard system except that the standard specular reflection law is replaced with a more general stochastic operator specifying the post-collision distribution of velocities for any given pre-collision velocity. We consider such collision operators for certain random billiards that we call billiards with microstructure. Collisions modeled by these operators can still be thought of as elastic and time reversible. The operators are canonically determined by a second (deterministic) billiard system that models “microscopic roughness” on the billiard table boundary. Our main purpose here is to develop some general tools for the analysis of the collision operator of such random billiards. Among the main results, we give geometric conditions for these operators to be Hilbert-Schmidt and relate their spectrum and speed of convergence to stationary Markov chains with geometric features of the microscopic billiard structure. The relationship between spectral gap and the shape of the microstructure is illustrated with several simple examples.     

Point Spectrum and SULE for Time-Periodic Perturbations of Discrete 1D Schrödinger Operators with Electric Fields

We use the KAM technique to present a proof of pure point spectrum for the quasi-energy operator and a version of the SULE condition for suitable small time-periodic perturbations of discrete one-dimensional Schrödinger operators with uniform electric fields.     

Generalized Lamé Operators

We introduce a class of multidimensional Schrödinger operators with elliptic potential which generalize the classical Lamé operator to higher dimensions. One natural example is the Calogero–Moser operator, others are related to the root systems and their deformations. We conjecture that these operators are algebraically integrable, which is a proper generalization of the finite-gap property of the Lamé operator. Using earlier results of Braverman, Etingof and Gaitsgory, we prove this under additional assumption of the usual, Liouville integrability. In particular, this proves the Chalykh–Veselov conjecture for the elliptic Calogero–Moser problem for all root systems. We also establish algebraic integrability in all known two-dimensional cases. A general procedure for calculating the Bloch eigenfunctions is explained. It is worked out in detail for two specific examples: one is related to the B₂ case, another one is a certain deformation of the A₂ case. In these two cases we also obtain similar results for the discrete versions of these problems, related to the difference operators of Macdonald–Ruijsenaars type.On leave of absence from: Advanced Education and Science Centre, Moscow State University, Moscow 119899, Russia