Sharp spectral transition for eigenvalues embedded into the spectral bands of perturbed periodic operators

TL;DR

This paper investigates the spectral properties of perturbed periodic Schrödinger operators, demonstrating how eigenvalues can be embedded into spectral bands with carefully constructed potentials, and establishing conditions preventing such embeddings.

Contribution

It constructs explicit smooth potentials that embed specified eigenvalues into spectral bands and proves the non-existence of embedded eigenvalues under certain decay conditions.

Findings

Eigenvalues can be embedded into spectral bands with specific decay potentials.

Constructed potentials can embed countably many eigenvalues.

Embedded eigenvalues do not exist if the potential decays faster than o(1)/(1+|x|).

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the Schr\"odinger equation, \begin{equation*} Hu=-u^{\prime\prime}+(V(x)+V_0(x))u=Eu, \end{equation*} where $V_0(x)$ is 1-periodic and $V (x)$ is a decaying perturbation. By Floquet theory, the spectrum of $H_0=-\nabla^2+V_0$ is purely absolutely continuous and consists of a union of closed intervals (often referred to as spectral bands). Given any finite set of points $\{ E_j\}_{j=1}^N$ in any spectral band of $H_0$ obeying a mild non-resonance condition, we construct smooth functions $V(x)=\frac{O(1)}{1+|x|}$ such that $H=H_0+V$ has eigenvalues $\{ E_j\}_{j=1}^N$. Given any countable set of points $\{ E_j\}$ in any spectral band of $H_0$ obeying the same non-resonance condition, and any function $h(x)>0$ going to infinity arbitrarily slowly, we construct smooth functions $|V(x)|\leq \frac{h(x)}{1+|x|}$ such that $H=H_0+V$ has eigenvalues $\{ E_j\}$. On the other hand, we show that there is no eigenvalue of $H=H_0+V$ embedded in the spectral bands if $V(x)=\frac{o(1)}{1+|x|}$ as $x$ goes to infinity. We prove also an analogous result for Jacobi operators.