Abstract: | Consider two copies N1, N2 of the interval 0, ∞]. Consider Klein-Gordon equations with (different) constant coefficients on ? × Nj ( = time × space). Assume the coincidence of the values of the solution at the boundary points of the Nj for all times and a transmission condition relating its first (one-sided) space derivatives at these points. Under a symmetry condition, we extend the spatial part of the equation and the transmission conditions to a self-adjoint operator (by Friedrichs extension) and reformulate our problem in terms of an abstract wave equation in a suitable Hilbert space. We derive an expansion of the solution in generalized eigenfunctions of this self-adjoint extension and show, that the L∞-norms (in space) of the solution and its first k space derivatives at the time t decay for t → ∞ at least as const. t¼, if the initial conditions satisfy a compatibility condition of order k derived in this paper. The loss of decay rate in comparison with the full line case (const. t?½, cf. 28]) is caused by the tunnel effect. Further we show that an abstract wave equation in a Hilbert space with a Friedrichs extension as spatial part can always be derived from a stationarity principle for an associated action-type functional. This yields a physical legitimation of our model by the principle of stationary action and moreover a criterion for the physical interpretability of all models created by the linear interaction concept 4, 6, 8, 10], in particular for the coupling of media of different dimension (alternative to 13, 16] for similar models). |