Accumulation of discrete eigenvalues of the radial Dirac operator (Q1283689)

The authors reduce the radial Dirac equation to a Sturm-Liouville equation where both the principal part and the potential function depend on the eigenvalue parameter. Developing (non-) oscillation results for this second-order equation, they are able to decide under certain assumptions on the original potential \(V\) and its derivative whether the eigenvalues in the gap of the essential spectrum of the Dirac operator accumulate at the endpoint on the right or not. Reviewer's remarks: a) While this nice and stimulating paper is the first to deal with the borderline case \[ \lim_{x\to\infty} x^2V(x)= \textstyle{{1\over 8}}+ {1\over 2} k(k+1):= c \] (\(k\in\mathbb{Z}\setminus\{0\}\) are the eigenvalues of the spin-orbit coupling operator), a comparison of theorems 3 and 4 (the latter uses a most interesting minimax principle due to \textit{M. Griesemer} and \textit{H. Siedentop} [J. Lond. Math. Soc. (to appear)] raises already some doubts as to whether the procedure sketched above is really the natural one. As a matter of fact, under the general assumption that the system is nonoscillatory at zero and \(0\geq V\in L^1_{\text{loc}}((0,\infty))\), \(\lim_{x\to\infty} V(x)= 0\), the point \(+1\) is an accumulation point of eigenvalues if the authors' condition (16) holds. If ``limsup'' is replaced by ``liminf'' in this condition and the inequality sign is reversed, then \(+1\) is not an accumulation point of eigenvalues. Furthermore, if \[ V(x)= cx^{-2}+\widetilde V(x), \] with \(\widetilde V\leq 0\) and \[ \underset{x\to\infty}{\text{lim}^{\sup}_{\inf}}[\widetilde V(x) x^2\log^2x]\gtrless{1\over 8}, \] then \(+1\) is or is not an accumulation point of eigenvalues. This follows from Satz 13.2 of the recent postdoctoral thesis by \textit{K. M. Schmidt} [Kritische Konstanten und Eigenwertasymptotik gestörter periodischer Differentialoperatoren (Critical constants and the asymptotics of eigenvalues of perturbed periodic differential operators), LMU München (1999)], where a modified Prüfer transformation together with a transformation of the angular momentum term (\textit{K. M. Schmidt} [Forum Math. 7, 459-475 (1995; Zbl 0826.34076)]) are used. b) The paper may inadvertently convey the impression that (non-) oscillation properties of parameter-dependent Sturm-Liouville equations had not been considered before. The regular case is dealt with by \textit{W. T. Reid} [Ordinary differential equations. Applied Mathematics Series. New York, John Wiley \& Sons (1971; Zbl 0212.10901)] (with references to the very early work of Ettlinger, the co-inventor of the Prüfer transformation) while references to the singular case can be found in \textit{W. T. Reid} [Sturmian theory for ordinary differential equations. Applied Mathematical Sciences, Vol. 31, New York etc. Springer-Verlag (1980; Zbl 0459.34001)] (see in particular Hartman, Milne and Reid).