A \(C^\star\) algebra of pseudodifferential operators on the half line (Q2252106)

This very well-written paper is devoted to a \(C^*\)-algebra approach of Fredholm properties of differential and pseudodifferential operators on the half line. Let \(H_y=-y^2\frac{\partial^2}{\partial^2y}+y^2\) be an unbounded operator acting on a dense subspace \(C_{cpt}^{\infty}(0,+\infty)\) of \(\mathcal H_y=L^2((0,+\infty),y^{-2}dy)\). Denote by \(M_f\) the multiplication operator. Let \(H_t=-\frac{d^2}{dt^2}+\frac14+e^{2t}\) acting on \(C_{cpt}^{\infty}(\mathbb R)\subset \mathcal H_t=L^2(\mathbb R,dt)\). Let \(\Lambda_y=H_y^{-\frac12} \in\mathcal L(\mathcal H_y)\) and \(\Lambda_t=H_t^{-\frac12} \in\mathcal L(\mathcal H_t)\). It is known that the \(C^*\)-algebra \(\mathcal C_y\), generated by \(\Lambda_y\), \(y\Lambda_y\), \(y\frac{d}{dy}\Lambda_y\) and \(M_{\phi(y)}\), where \(\phi \in C_{CS}(\mathbb R)=\{\phi\in C(\mathbb R_+)\mid\lim\limits_{y\to 0}\phi(y) \mathrm{ and } \lim\limits_{y\to \infty}\phi(y) \mathrm{ exist}\}\), is unitarily equivalent to \(\mathcal C_t\) generated by \(\Lambda _t\), \(e^t \Lambda _t\), \((\frac12 +\frac d{dt})\Lambda _t\) and \(\displaystyle M_{\psi(t)}(\psi\in CS(\mathbb R)=\{\psi\in C(\mathbb R)\mid \lim\limits_{t\to -\infty} \psi(t) \mathrm{ and } \lim\limits_{t\to \infty} \psi(t)\mathrm{ exist}\}).\) It is shown that the commutator ideal of \(\mathcal C_t\) is the ideal of compact operators \(\mathcal K_t\) and the same result holds for \(\mathcal C_y\). Applying Gelfand theory to the quotient algebra \(\mathcal C_y/\mathcal K_y\), a necessary and sufficient condition for an operator \(A\in\mathcal C_y\) to be Fredholm is obtained.