A remark on the discriminant of Hill's equation and Herglotz functions (Q2447678)

The author derives some properties of the discriminant of a periodic second-order differential equation by using an analysis of a Herglotz function. More precisely, for a real-valued, continuous, and 1-periodic function \(Q\) the discriminant \(\Delta:\mathbb{C}\to\mathbb{C}\) is defined by \[ \Delta(\lambda):=s'(1;\lambda)+c(1;\lambda), \] where \(s(\cdot;\lambda)\) and \(c(\cdot;\lambda)\) are the solutions of the Hill's differential equation \[ -u''+Qu=\lambda u \] determined by the initial conditions \(s(0;\lambda)=0=c'(0;\lambda)\) and \(s'(0;\lambda)=1=c(0;\lambda)\). The oscillation properties of the discriminant help to understand the structure of a set, which closure corresponds to the spectrum of the Hill operator \[ L=-d^2/dx^2+Q \text{ in } L^2(\mathbb{R}). \] Then associating with the Hill's equation a Herglotz function, i.e., a holomorphic map \(h:\mathbb{C}\setminus\mathbb{R}\to\mathbb{C}\) such that \(h(\bar{z})=\overline{h(z)}\) and \(\Im(z)\cdot\Im(h(z))\geq0\), seven properties of \(\Delta\) are established. In addition, a connection between the discriminant and the Weyl function is discussed.