Estimates for degenerate Schrödinger operators and hypoellipticity for infinitely degenerate elliptic operators (Q1202854)

The author studies estimates from below for \((a(x,D)u,u)\), \(u\in C_ 0^ \infty(K)\), \(K\) compact in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\), \(a(x,D)\) a suitable symbol and \((\cdot,\cdot)\) the scalar product in \(L^ 2\). He gives different estimates following different hypotheses on the symbol \(a\); for example an estimate of the following kind: \[ (a(x,D)u,u)\geq c_ K(\omega(x)u,u), \qquad u\in C_ 0^ \infty(K) \] with \(\omega\) related to the symbol \(a\). The symbol \(a\) is a generalization of the symbol of Schrödinger operators. As an application of such estimates, the author deduces results on hypoellipticity for second order operators with infinite degeneracies, as, for example the operator: \[ L=D^ 2_ 1+ x_ 1^{2\ell} D^ 2_ 2+ x_ 1^{2k} x_ 2^{2m} D_ 3^ 2+ f(x)D^ 2_ 4 \qquad \text{in } \mathbb{R}^ 4 \] where \(f\) is suitable (with a zero of infinite order). \{Some parts of the present paper are announced in Proc. Japan Acad., Ser. A 65, No. 6, 155-157 (1989; Zbl 0727.35034)\}.