The eigenvalue problem in the whole space for equations with discontinuous coefficients (Q1398494)

The subject of this article is the existence of generalized nonzero solutions to the problem \[ P(D)u=(\mu+g(x))u,\quad x\in \mathbb{R}^n,\quad u\in L^2(\mathbb{R}^n), \tag{1} \] in which \(P(iz)\geq0\) stands for the symbol of a pseudodifferential operator, \(z\in \mathbb{R}^n\), independent of \(x\) and satisfying the conditions \[ P(iz)=P(-iz)\quad\text{for all } z; \] \[ (P(iz)-\mu)^{-1}\in L^2(\mathbb{R}^n)\quad\text{if } \mu<0; \] \[ \int| P(iz)-\mu| ^{-2} \,dz\to 0 \quad\text{if } \mu\to-\infty; \] \[ \int_{| z| <\delta}| P(iz)-\mu| ^{-1} \,dz\to+\infty \quad\text{for small } \delta>0,\quad\mu\to-0. \] Here, \(D=(D_1,\dots,D_n)\) , \(D_j\) stands for the generalized derivative with respect to \(x_j\), \(\mu\) is the spectral parameter, \(g\) is a real-valued, bounded in the essential function vanishing outside the set \(\Omega\), \(\Omega\) is measurable and fixed. The integration is assumed to be carried out over all \(z\in \mathbb{R}^n\) in the direction from \(-\infty\) to \(+\infty\). Theorem. If \(g(x)\leq0\), then problem (1) has no negative eigenvalues. When \(g(x)>0\), \(x\in\Omega\), and the set \(\Omega\) is bounded, problem (1) has at least one negative eigenvalue. The given theorem is applied to a problem from the theory of wave conductors.