On the deficiency indices of Hamiltonian systems. (Q1432619)

The authors consider first-order symmetric systems \[ J(x)f'(x)+ B(x) f(x)= \lambda{\mathcal H}(x) f(x)\tag{1} \] on the interval \(I\), where \(I=\mathbb{R}\) or \(I=\mathbb{R}_\pm\). Here \(J,B\) and \({\mathcal H}\) are locally integrable \(n\times n\) matrix functions, \(J=-J^*\), \(J\in AC(I:\mathbb{C}^n)\), \(B^*=B-J'\), \(\det J(x)\neq 0\), and the Hamiltonian \({\mathcal H}\geq 0\) may be degenerate. The defect indices \(\mathbb{N}_\pm(I)\) of (1) are defined by \(\mathbb{N}_\pm(I)= \dim{\mathcal E}_{\pm i}\), where \({\mathcal E}_\lambda= \{f\in L^2_{\mathcal H}(I)\cap AC(I,\mathbb{C}^n)\): \(Jf'+Bf=\lambda {\mathcal H}f\}\) and \(L^2_{\mathcal H}(I)\) is the set of Lebesgue measurable functions \(f:I \to\mathbb{C}^n\) satisfying \(\int_If(x){\mathcal H}(x)f(x)^*dx<\infty\). The paper presents two results about the minimality of the defect indices \(\mathbb{N}_\pm (\mathbb{R})=0\) \([\mathbb{N}_\pm (\mathbb{R}_+)=\kappa_\pm\), where \(\kappa_+\) and \(\kappa_-\) denotes the number of positive and negative eigenvalues of the matrix \(iJ(0)\), respectively] of systems of the form (1) and a criterion for their maximality \([\mathbb{N}_\pm(\mathbb{R}_+)=n]\). Also, a result about minimum defect indices of the weighted Sturm-Liouville matrix equations \[ -\frac{d}{dx} \left(A(x)^{-1}\frac {dy}{dx}+ Q(x)y)\right)+Q^*(x)\frac{dy}{dx}+ R(x)y=\lambda {\mathcal H}(x)y \] is obtained. This result generalizes those by \textit{M. G. Kreĭn} [Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 88, 405--408 (1953; Zbl 0050.08708)] and \textit{V. B. Lidskij} [Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 95, 217--220 (1954; Zbl 0058.31402)]. The results of the paper under review are presented without proofs.