A Krein space approach to elliptic eigenvalue problems with indefinite weights (Q1328958)

This paper is a contribution to the eigenvalue problem \[ Lu= \lambda ru, \tag{1} \] where \(L\) is a symmetric elliptic operator, and \(r\) is a locally integrable function on \(\mathbb{R}^ n\), which takes both positive and negative values on non-negligible sets. Because the operator \({1\over r} L\) is symmetric with respect to the form \([\cdot \mid \cdot]= \int u\overline {v} r\), the associated operator \(A\) is selfadjoint in the Krein space \((L^ 2 (| r|),[ \cdot\mid \cdot ])\), where the most adequate tool is the Krein-Langer theory of definitizable operators. The introductory section gives information about the actual stage of this problem. Section 2 contains the necessary theoretic background for such operators, including regularity conditions for \(\infty\) as a critical point. In section 3, problem (1) is considered on unbounded domains and special attention is paid to the applications to differential operators. In particular, spectral problems such as \[ (- \Delta+ 1)u= \lambda ru \] on \(\mathbb{R}^ n\), where the real weight function \(r\) is changing the sign, are essentially new.