Some results on Fredholm operators, essential spectra, and application (Q1270679)

The authors prove for a bounded, linear operator \(A\) in a Banach space: \(A\) is a Fredholm operator with finite ascent and descent iff there exist bounded, linear operators \(U\) and \(F\) and an \(n \geq 1\) with \(UA^n = A^nU = I-F\) and \(p(F)\) is compact for some polynomial \(p\) with \(p(1) \neq 0\), \(p(1) \neq p(0)\). Further they study different types for the essential spectra of closed, densely defined, linear operators in \(L_p\)-spaces. Using strictly singular operators they characterize these types of the essential spectra, and they prove stability results under additive perturbations and a spectral mapping theorem. In the last section they apply these results to integro-differential operators in transport theory.