Potentials for non-local Schr\"{o}dinger operators with zero eigenvalues

TL;DR

This paper systematically characterizes potentials that decay at infinity and generate zero eigenvalues for non-local Schrödinger operators, focusing on decay rates, sign behavior, and the influence of operator types like fractional Laplacian.

Contribution

It introduces a unified analytical framework for analyzing zero eigenvalues in non-local Schrödinger operators with decaying potentials, including new decay and sign criteria.

Findings

Potentials can be bounded and continuous under certain decay conditions.

Decay rates at infinity depend on the type of Lévy jump kernel.

Sign behavior at infinity influences the existence of zero eigenvalues.

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to give a systematic description of potentials decaying to zero at infinity, which generate eigenvalues at the edge of the absolutely continuous spectrum when combined with non-local operators defined by Bernstein functions of the Laplacian. By introducing suitable H\"{o}lder-Zygmund type spaces with different scale functions than usual, we study the action of these non-local Schr\"{o}dinger operators in terms of second-order centered differences of eigenfunctions integrated with respect to singular kernels. First we obtain conditions under which the potentials decay at all, and are bounded continuous functions. Next we derive decay rates at infinity separately for operators with regularly varying and exponentially light L\`{e}vy jump kernels. We show situations in which no decay occurs, implying that zero-energy eigenfunctions with specific decay properties cannot occur. Then we obtain detailed results on the sign of potentials at infinity which, apart from asymptotic behaviour at infinity, is a second main feature responsible for the occurrence or absence of zero eigenvalues. Finally, we study the behaviour of potentials at the origin, and analyze a delicate interplay between the pinning effect resulting from a well at zero combined with decay and sign at infinity, as a main mechanism in the formation of zero-energy bound states. Among the many possible examples of non-local operators, we single out the fractional Laplacian and the massive relativistic operator, and we will derive and make extensive use of an additive relationship between the two. In the paper we propose a unified framework and develop a purely analytic approach.