On the essential spectrum of quantum graphs (Q1677086)

This paper studies the spectral theory of Schrödinger operators which are defined on a metric graph, embedded in \(\mathbb{R}^n\), which has a periodic structure in the sense that it is invariant under translations defined by of a subgroup of \(\mathbb{R}^n\) isomorphic to \(\mathbb{Z}^m\) (i.e. a lattice). A family of limit operators is defined, corresponding to limits under various sequences of translations. It is proved that the essential spectrum of the original operator is obtained as the union of the spectra of the limit operators. This result is used to compute explicitly the spectra of Schrödinger operators for which the potential is the sum of periodic one (under the group of symmetries of the graph) and a potential which is slowly oscillating at infinity.