On the spectral properties of the Hilbert transform operator on multi-intervals (Q2080308)

Summary: Let \(J, E \subset \mathbb{R}\) be two multi-intervals with non-intersecting interiors. Consider the operator \[ A: L^2 (J) \to L^2 (E), \ (Af) (x) = \frac{1}{\pi} \int_J \frac{f(y)\,}{y - x}\mathrm{d}y, \] and let \(A^\dagger\) be its adjoint. We introduce a self-adjoint operator \(\mathcal{K}\) acting on \(L^2 (E) \oplus L^2 (J)\), whose off-diagonal blocks consist of \(A\) and \(A^\dagger\). In this paper we study the spectral properties of \(\mathcal{K}\) and the operators \(A^\dagger\) and \(A^\dagger\). Our main tool is to obtain the resolvent of \(\mathcal{K}\), which is denoted by \(\mathcal{R}\), using an appropriate Riemann-Hilbert problem, and then compute the jump and poles of \(\mathcal{R}\) in the spectral parameter \(\lambda\). We show that the spectrum of \(\mathcal{K}\) has an absolutely continuous component \([0, 1]\) if and only if \(J\) and \(E\) have common endpoints, and its multiplicity equals to their number. If there are no common endpoints, the spectrum of \(\mathcal{K}\) consists only of eigenvalues and \(0\). If there are common endpoints, then \(\mathcal{K}\) may have eigenvalues imbedded in the continuous spectrum, each of them has a finite multiplicity, and the eigenvalues may accumulate only at \(0\). In all cases, \(\mathcal{K}\) does not have a singular continuous spectrum. The spectral properties of \(A^\dagger\) and \(A^\dagger\), which are very similar to those of \(\mathcal{K}\), are obtained as well.