First-order relativistic corrections and spectral concentration (Q1077685)

The authors study Pauli Hamiltonians with first-order relativistic corrections according to Foldy and Wouthuysen, applying methods of singular perturbation theory. They show that the relativistic perturbation convertes the discrete spectrum of the Pauli Hamiltonian \(H_{\infty}\) into a continuous one. The perturbed operator H(c) converges to \(H_{\infty}\) in the strong resolvent sense as \(c\to \infty\). \(H_{\infty}\) is bounded from below, H(c) bounded from above, the essential spectra are \(\sigma_{ess}(H_{\infty})=[0,\infty)\), and \(\sigma_{ess}(H(c))=(-\infty,c^ 2/4]\). The negative spectrum of H(c) is concentrated to first order on the union of intervals of length \(o(1/c^ 2)\) centered at the first-order pseudoeigenvalues \(E_ n^{(j)}(c)=E_ n+E_ n^{(j)}/c^ 2\), \(j=1,2,...,m_ n\), of H(c), where \(E_ n<0\) are the eigenvalues of \(H_{\infty}\) with multiplicities \(m_ n\), \(n=1,2,... \).