Semi-boundedness of ordinary differential operators (Q1343696)

The paper concerns the boundedness from below and above of very general symmetric quasi-differential operators. These operators are induced by (regular or singular) symmetric quasi-differential expressions which are generated by a certain class of matrices whose elements are only assumed to be locally integrable. The authors prove that regular operators of even order with positive leading coefficient are bounded below, that regular or singular operators of odd order are unbounded both above and below (regardless of the sign of the leading coefficient), and they show that (regular or singular) even order operators with a leading coefficient that changes sign are also unbounded above and below. Results of this type are new for the wide class of differential expressions considered here where no smoothness and smallness conditions are imposed on the coefficients. They are also interesting with regard to the spectral theory of ordinary differential operators.