Symbolic calculus and Fredholm property for localization operators (Q2509098)

The authors consider localization operators, i.e. operators defined as \[ Af(t)= \int a(x,\omega)V_{g_1} f(x,\omega)M_\omega T_x g_2(t)\,dx\,d\omega, \] where \(g_1\) and \(g_2\) are fixed window functions, \(T_xg(t)= g(t- x)\), \(M_\omega g(t)= \exp(2\pi i\omega t) g(t)\) and \(V_g\) is the so-called short-time Fourier transform of \(g\): \[ V_g f(x,\omega)= \langle f, M_\omega T_x g\rangle. \] See the preceding paper of the authors [J. Funct. Anal. 205, No. 1, 107--131 (2003; Zbl 1047.47038)] for the boundedness properties of \(A\). Here the authors study the composition of two operators \(A\) and \(B\) of the preceding form, with symbols \(a(x,\omega)\) and \(b(x,\omega)\) and different couples of window functions. Under minimal conditions on symbols and windows, they represent \(AB\) as a sum of localization operators, with symbols expressed in terms of \(a\), \(b\), and a lower order remainder, compact in modulation spaces. Applications are given to the Fredholm property for elliptic localization operators.