Modified Prüfer and EFGP transforms and deterministic models with dense point spectrum (Q1268776)

The authors study the Lyapunov behavior of the half-line Schrödinger operator: \[ -(d^2/dx^2)+ V(x)= H_\theta\in L^2(0,\infty)\tag{1} \] with boundary conditions \(u(0)\cos\theta+ u'(0)\sin\theta=0\), and its discrete analog in \(\ell^2(\mathbb{Z}^+)\), \(\mathbb{Z}^+= \{1,2,3,\dots\}\), with an appropriate finite difference analog of (1). Of interest is the case when \(H_\theta\) has a dense spectrum on some interval \([a,b]\). This is not possible for all \(\theta\), but can be for a.e. \(\theta\) if \([a,b]\subset \text{spec}(H_\theta)\) and for a.e. \(E\in[a,b]\) there is an \(L^2(.,\infty)\) solution \(-u''+ Vu= Eu(1)\). The authors define a version of Prüfer (polar) transformation: \(\{R,\theta\}:u'= k R(x)\cos\theta(x)\), \(u= R(x)\sin\theta(x)\), with \(k=\sqrt E\), which is equivalent to \(d\theta(x)dx= k- (V(x)\sin^2\theta(x)/k\), \(d(R\ln(R))/dx= [V(x)\sin(2\theta(x))]/(2k)\). The forbidden set is \(\widetilde A\) when \(V(x)> k^2(x)\), and where values of \(\theta\) approach the equality \(\sin\theta(x)= \pm\{k^2/V(x)\}^{1/2}\). The plus sign means an attracting set where \(R\) grows exponentially proportionally to \(\exp\{+\int (V(x)- k^2)dx\}\). (Recall that \(k^2(x)= E(x)\).) In a previous paper, Simon and Zhu showed that a forbidden set \(\widetilde A\) has Lebesgue measure zero and is \(G_\delta\) dense in \([0,\infty)\) if \(V= 1+\cos(x^\alpha)\), \(0<\alpha<1\), and showed deterministic behavior for \(V=\lambda\cos(x^\alpha)\). The authors introduce the evolution or transfer matrix (depending on the terminology) defined as \(T(0,x)\), where \[ T(0,x)\begin{cases} u'(0)\\ u(0)\end{cases}\;=\;\begin{cases} u'(x)\\ u(x).\end{cases} \] A known result of D. Ruelle implies that if \(\lim_{n\to\infty} (1/n^\gamma)\ln T(0,n)> 0\), \(\gamma>0\), then there is an \(L^2(.,\infty)\) solution to the discrete version of (1): \[ u(n+ 1)+ u(n- 1)+ V(n) u(n)= Eu(n).\tag{2} \] In the Simon-Spencer discrete model, the authors identify the Lyapunov exponent \(\beta/2\) when \(V(j^2)= e^{i\beta}\), \(V(n)= 0\) if \(n\neq 1,4,9,\dots\)\ . The authors introduce a new approach based on identifying the set \(\widetilde A\), and computing the Lyapunov exponent \(\beta/2= \gamma\). In an appendix, the authors indicate how the Prüfer-WKB variables may be used to show that the transfer matrix for the \(\cos(x^\alpha)\) potential is bounded. The reviewer comments that many years ago (in the early 1960's) John Barrett and some of his pupils were busy developing higher-dimensional versions of the Prüfer transformation, defining rather clever matrices (or abstract operators) which mimicked basic properties of trigonometric functions. Somehow this activity just petered out after the untimely death of its then still fairly young chief promoter John.