Invariant subspaces of elliptic systems I: pseudodifferential projections (Q2076319)

Let \(M\) be a connected closed manifold of dimension \(d \geqslant 2\). Let \(m \geqslant 2\) be a fixed natural number. Denote by \(H^s(M)\) the vector space of \(m\)-columns of half-densities that are square integrable with their partial derivatives up to order \(s\), and by \(\Psi^s\) the space of pseudodifferential operators of order \(s\) with polyhomogeneous symbols, acting from \(H^s(M)\) to \(L^2(M)\). Recall that an element \(P \in \Psi^0\) is called an {\em orthogonal pseudodifferential projection} if \(P^2=P\) (mod \(\Psi^{-\infty}\)) and \(P^*=P\) (mod \(\Psi^{-\infty}\)). A set of \(m\) orthogonal pseudodifferential projections \(\{ P_j\}\) is said to be an {\em orthonormal pseudodifferential basis} if the following conditions hold: (1) for every \(j\), the principal symbol of \(P_j\) is rank \(1\) matrix-function; (2) \(\forall j \neq k\), \(P_jP_k=0\) mod \(\Psi^{-\infty}\); (3) \(\Sigma_{j}P_j=Id\) mod \(\Psi^{-\infty}\), where \(Id\) stands for the identity operator. Suppose that \(A \in \Psi^s\), \(s>1\), is an elliptic self-adjoint linear pseudodifferential operator. Under the assumption that the principal symbol \(A_{\text{prin}}(x,\xi)\) (which is a matrix-function) has simple eigenvalues, the authors show that there exist \(m\) orthonormal pseudodifferential projections commuting with the operator \(A\), uniquely determined modulo \(\Psi^{-\infty}\), and provide an algorithm for the computation of their full symbols, as well as explicit closed formulae for their subprincipal symbols. Moreover, the authors use pseudodifferential projections to construct \(m\) distinct sign definite operators (modulo \(\Psi^{-\infty}\)) out of \(A\). Finally, they represent modulus and Heaviside function of \(A\) in terms of pseudodifferential projections, and discuss three applications of their results.