Discrete spectrum of quantum Hall effect Hamiltonians. I: Monotone edge potentials (Q2276073)

Summary: We consider the unperturbed operator \(H_0 : = (-i \nabla - \mathbf A)^2 + W\), self-adjoint in \(L^2(\mathbb{R}^2)\). Here \(\mathbf A\) is a magnetic potential which generates a constant magnetic field \(b>0\), and the edge potential \(W\) is a non-decreasing non constant bounded function depending only on the first coordinate \(x \in \mathbb{R}\) of \((x,y) \in \mathbb{R}^2\). Then the spectrum of \(H_0\) has a band structure and is absolutely continuous; moreover, the assumption \(\lim_{x \to \infty}(W(x) - W(-x)) < 2b\) implies the existence of infinitely many spectral gaps for \(H_0\). We consider the perturbed operators \(H_{\pm} = H_0 \pm V\) where the electric potential \(V \in L^{\infty}(\mathbb{R}^2)\) is non-negative and decays at infinity. We investigate the asymptotic distribution of the discrete spectrum of \(H_\pm\) in the spectral gaps of \(H_0\). We introduce an effective Hamiltonian which governs the main asymptotic term; this Hamiltonian involves a pseudo-differential operator with generalized anti-Wick symbol equal to \(V\). Further, we restrict our attention on perturbations \(V\) of compact support and constant sign. We establish a geometric condition on the support of \(V\) which guarantees the finiteness of the eigenvalues of \(H_{\pm}\) in any spectral gap of \(H_0\). In the case where this condition is violated, we show that, generically, the convergence of the infinite series of eigenvalues of \(H_+\) (resp. \(H_-\)) to the left (resp. right) edge of a given spectral gap, is Gaussian.