Topological properties of reflectionless Jacobi matrices (Q1949151)

A two-sided Jacobi matrix \(J(\{a_n\},\{b_n\})\) with bounded sequences \(a_n\geq0\) and \(b_n\in\mathbb{R}\) is called reflectionless on a Borel set \(M\) if \[ \Re\lim_{y\to 0+} ((J-x-iy)^{-1}e_n,e_n)=0 \] for almost every \(x\in M\) and for all integers \(n\). The main object under consideration in the paper is the set \(R_0(K)\) of all reflectionless Jacobi matrices on a compact set \(K\) of positive Lebesgue measure such that \(\sigma(J)\subset K\), where \(\sigma(J)\) is the spectrum of \(J\). Endowed with the metric \[ d(J,J')=\sum_{n=-\infty}^\infty 2^{-|n|}(|a_n-a_n'|+|b_n-b_n'|), \] it becomes a compact metric space. One of the main results of the paper states that \(R_0(K)\) is pathwise connected. As a consequence, if \(R_0(K)\) can be made an abelian topological group, then \(R_0(K)\) is homeomorphic to \(\mathbb{T}^N\), \(N\leq\infty\). In the case when \(K=\cup I_n\) is a disjoint union of \(N+1\) intervals, some of which may be single points, \(R_0(K)\) is homeomorphic to \(\mathbb{T}^N\).