Multiparameter spectral problems and commuting extensions of symmetric operators (Q1896958)

Let \(A_j\) be a Hermitian operator and let \(B_{jk}\) be a bounded selfadjoint operator in a separable Hilbert space \(H_j\) \((j,k=1,\dots,n)\). Let \(\widehat A_j\) be the closure in \(H=\bigoplus^n_{j=1} H_j\) of the Hermitian operator \(1\otimes\cdots\otimes 1\otimes A_j\otimes 1\otimes\cdots\otimes 1\), and let \(\widehat B_{jk}\) be the analogously defined bounded selfadjoint operator. The function \(\phi=\phi(\lambda)\in H\) is called a proper vector corresponding to the proper value \(\lambda=(\lambda_1,\dots,\lambda_n)\in\mathbb{R}^n\) if \[ \widehat A_j\phi= \sum^n_{k=1}\lambda_k\widehat B_{jk}\phi\quad\text{for }j=1,\dots,n;\;\phi\neq 0.\tag{\(*\)} \] Assume that the problem \((*)\) is right definite, i.e., for \(\Delta=\text{det}(\widehat B_{jk})^n_{j,k=1}\) it is true that \(\langle u,u\rangle:=(\Delta u,u)_H>0\) for all \(u\in H\), \(u\neq 0\). Let \(H_\Delta\) be the completion of \(H\) with respect to the scalar product \(\langle u,u\rangle\). With suitable assumptions on the domains and continuity of \(\widehat A_j\), \(\widehat B_{jk}\) and \(\Delta\), put \(X_k=\Delta^{-1}\sum^n_{j=1}\Delta_{jk}\widehat A_j\) for \(k=1,\dots,n\), where \(\Delta_{jk}\) is the cofactor of \(\widehat B_{jk}\) in the matrix \((\widehat B_{jk})^n_{j,k=1}\). Then, \(X_k\) is a Hermitian operator in \(H_\Delta\). The author states that the family \((X_k)^n_{k=1}\) admits an extension to a commuting family of selfadjoint operators (with exit out of the space \(H_\Delta\)). In this connection, \(\sum^n_{k=1}\widehat B_{jk}X_k u=\widehat A_ju\) for \(j=1,\dots,n\). The author claims that the above result can be used to obtain the following abstract expansion theorem for problem \((*)\): There exists a finite Borel measure \(\rho\) and a family \((\phi_\alpha(\lambda))^{N(\lambda)}_{\alpha=1}\) of generalized proper vectors of problem \((*)\) such that \(\langle u,v\rangle=\int_{\mathbb{R}^n}(\widetilde u(\lambda),\widetilde v(\lambda))_{\ell^2(N(\lambda))}d\rho(\lambda)\), where \(\widetilde u(\lambda)=(\langle u,\phi_\alpha(\lambda)\rangle)^{N(\lambda)}_{\alpha=1}\). An application is made to the case that the \(A_j\) are formally selfadjoint elliptic differential operators, and the \(B_{jk}\) are operators of multiplication by real functions.