On a spectral theorem of Weyl (Q2196494)

This paper presents a new and rather original approach to the spectral theory of self-adjoint Sturm-Liouville operators \[D=-\frac{d}{dx}\cdot p(x)\cdot\frac{d}{dx}+q(x)\] on a half-line. The authors recover a result of \textit{H. Weyl} [Math. Ann. 68, 220--269 (1910; JFM 41.0343.01)], concerning the continuous spectrum of \(D\) when \(p\) and \(q\) are asymptotically constant. Their approach relies on comparing the Sturm-Liouville operator \(D\) to the simpler operator \(D_0=-\dfrac{d^2}{dx^2}\). To do so, they introduce and use a concept of \emph{asymptotic containment} for representations of \(C^*\)-algebras (a strengthening of ordinary weak containment), combined with the study of asymptotic relations between continuous fields of Hilbert spaces. The method is inspired by geometric aspects of harmonic analysis on homogeneous spaces of Lie groups, which the authors illustrate by applying it to another example of operator, related to the representation theory of \(\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{R})\). The origin of the ideas is carefully presented and the classical approach of Weyl as extended by \textit{K. Kodaira} [Am. J. Math. 71, 921--945 (1949; Zbl 0035.27101)] is discussed and compared in a concise appendix. The authors also point out the existence of similar methods in the context of \(p\)-adic analysis [J. Geom. Phys. 5, No. 4, 663--710 (1988; Zbl 0725.43010); Astérisque 396, 360 p. (2017; Zbl 1479.22016)].