The spectrum of differential operators with almost constant coefficients. II (Q1860447)

The practical importance of the Schrödinger equation on the half-axis is one of the key roots of the author's interest in the determination of the absolutely continuous spectrum of the more general operators \(H\) related to the linear and formally symmetric differential expressions \(L\) of order \(2n\). Under standard assumptions on the smoothness and asymptotic decay of coefficients, it is proved and illustrated that for any selfadjoint extension \(H\) of \(L\), its absolutely continuous part is unitarily equivalent to the operator of multiplication derived from the asymptotics of coefficients. The method of asymptotic integration is used. Imagining that the associated first-order system is Hamiltonian, it is shown how the generalized (= matrix) form of the Titchmarsh-Weyl concept of the \(m\)-function can be employed. Its interpretation as a Borel transform of the spectral measure leads to the desired results via repeated Kummer-Liouville transformations (= ``diagonalizations'') modulo ``Levinson'' terms (having no influence on asymptotics). For part I see the author, \textit{D. Hinton} and \textit{C. Remling} [J. Differ. Equations 175, 130-162 (2001; Zbl 0990.34070)].