The translation invariant massive Nelson model. I: The bottom of the spectrum (Q2580951)

The paper gives a comprehensive analysis of the bottom of the energy-momentum spectrum of a model studied by \textit{E. Nelson} in [``Interaction of non-relativistic particles with a quantized scalar field'', J. Math. Phys. 5, 1190--1197 (1964)] to describe an electron linearly coupled to a second quantized massive scalar field. Briefly, this model is described as follows. For a particle of mass \(M\) moving in \( \mathbb{R}^{\nu}\) with momentum \(p=-i\nabla_x\) and interacting with a scalar radiation field of kinetic energy \(d\Gamma\), the free and coupled Hamiltonians for the combined system are respectively \[ H_0=\Omega(p)\otimes I_{\mathcal{F}} + I_{\mathcal{K}}\otimes d\Gamma(\omega), H=H_0 + V, \] where \(\Omega (p) = p^2/2M\) (non-relativistic case)or \(\sqrt{p^2+M^2}\) (relativistic case), \({\mathcal{K}}= L^2( {\mathbb{R}}_{x}^{\nu}), \mathcal{F}\) the bosonic Fock space, and \(V\) the interaction. The total momentum operator is \[ P=p \otimes I_{ \mathcal{F}} + I_{ \mathcal{K}} \otimes d\Gamma (k). \] The objects of study are fiber Hamiltonians \(H(\xi),\xi \in \mathbb{R}{\nu} \), defined by the Hamiltonian \(H\), which are proved to be bounded below and essentially self-adjoint on a specified space of test functions. Results established include the following for \(H(\xi)\): an HVZ theorem; the bottom of the spectrum of \(H(\xi), \Sigma(\xi)\), is an isolated eigenvalue of \(H(\xi)\) for \(1\leq \nu \leq2\) but is not an eigenvalue for \(3\leq \nu \leq 4\). Regularity and monotonicity properties of the bottom of the essential spectrum are also given.