Spectral functions of singular differential operators with matricial coefficients. (Q1890410)

Let \(L_\alpha\) be the Bessel operator with matrix coefficients on \((0,\infty)\), i.e., \[ L_\alpha Y(t)=Y''(t)+t^{-2}(I/4-\alpha^2)Y(t), \] where \(I\) is the identity \(n\times n\)-matrix and \(\alpha\) denotes the \(n\)th-order diagonal matrix \(\alpha=\text{diag}(\alpha_1, \ldots,\alpha_n)\) with \(\alpha_n\geq\ldots\geq \alpha_1\geq 1\). The authors consider the perturbed operator \(L_\alpha+Q\), where \(Q\) is an \(n\times n\) continuous, real and symmetric \(n\times n\)-matrix-valued function. Moreover, some integrability conditions for \(Q\) at \(t=0\) and at infinity are assumed. Let \(\Phi(\lambda,t)\) and \(E(\lambda,t)\) be two solutions of \[ (L_\alpha+Q)Y=-\lambda^2 Y, \] which obey \[ \lim_{t\to 0} t^{-\alpha-I/2}\Phi(\lambda,t)=I,\quad \text{and}\quad \lim_{| \lambda| t\to +\infty}e^{-i\lambda t}E(\lambda,t)=I. \] The Harish-Chandra function \(C(\lambda)\) associated to \(L_\alpha+Q\) is defined by means of the Wroanskian of \(\Phi(\lambda,t)\) and \(E(\lambda,t)\) by \[ C(\lambda)=\frac{1}{2i\lambda} [E(\lambda,t);\Phi(\lambda,t)]. \] The authors investigate the asymptotic behavior of the Harish-Chandra function at zero and infinity. Moreover, results on the asymptotics of the spectral function \(s(\lambda)=(2\pi C(\lambda)^*C(\lambda))^{-1}\) and the scattering matrix \(S(\lambda)=C(\lambda)C(-\lambda)^{-1}\) are presented.