Gaplessness of Landau Hamiltonians on hyperbolic half-planes via coarse geometry (Q2042358)

Let \(W\) be a half-space of either the Euclidean or hyperbolic plane with its complex structure in both cases, with area \(2\)-form \(\omega\). For any \(\theta \in \mathbb R\), equip the Hermitian line bundle \(W \times \mathbb C\) with the (real) connection form \(A_\theta\) of curvature \(d A_\theta = \theta \omega\) and define Landau's Hamiltonian as \[ H_\theta = (d - i A_\theta)^\ast (d-i A_\theta) \] operating on complex functions on \(X\). The main result of the paper under review is that the spectrum of \(H_\theta\) (with either Dirichlet or Neumann boundary conditions) has no gaps above \(\vert \theta \vert\). This differs from the case where \(W\) is replaced by its double, where (if \(\theta \neq 0\)) the spectrum is discrete in the Euclidean case, resp. has no gap above \(1/4 + \theta^2\) and is discrete below this threshold in the hyperbolic case; see [\textit{L. Landau}, Z. Phys. 64, 629--637 (1930; JFM 56.1318.10)] and [\textit{A. Comtet}, Ann. Phys. 173, 185--209 (1986; Zbl 0635.58034)], respectively. The authors use coarse index theory and \(K\)-theory. The main result is stated to hold in a greater generality where \(W\) is roughly a half space of the corresponding model space, namely if it is regular closed with boundary at bounded Hausdorff distance from a geodesic and coarsely equivalent to its complement under the associated reflection.