Spectral radius, index estimates for Schrödinger operators and geometric applications (Q1011418)

The authors study the existence of a first zero and the oscillatory behavior of solutions of the ordinary differential equation (\(vz {^{\prime }})^ {{\prime}} + Avz = 0\), satisfying \(z'(t)=O(1)\), \(z(t)\to z_0>0\) as \(t\to 0\), where \(A\) and \(v\) are non-negative functions. They introduce a new technique to estimate the distance between two consecutive zeros. These results are applied in the setting of complete Riemannian manifolds. They prove index bounds for certain Schrödinger operators, and an estimate of the growth of the spectral radius of the Laplacian outside compact sets when the volume growth is faster than exponential. Application to the geometry of complete minimal hypersurfaces in the Euclidean space, to minimal surfaces and to the Yamabe problem are discussed.