The method of rigged spaces in singular perturbation theory of self-adjoint operators (Q267857)

This unique and valuable book is concerned with the theory of singular perturbations for self-adjoint operators from the rigged (Hilbert) spaces point of view. It provides known and new results on singularly perturbed operators obtained by the authors and other researchers. The book comprises nine chapters. Chapter 1 sets the stage by introducing the basic notations and necessary preliminaries including sets, topological spaces, Banach, Hilbert and Sobolev spaces, linear transformations and bounded and unbounded operators. Chapter 2 contains a brief review of the basic extension theory of symmetric operators and the general theory of quadratic forms. Examples illustrate and complement the methods discussed and facilitate ease of reading and understanding of what follows. Chapter 3 is based on the theory of self-adjoint extensions of symmetric operators. One of the main components of this chapter is a reformulation of a bijective correspondence between the set of all positive self-adjoint extensions of a symmetric operator and a set of positive operators in terms of quadratic forms. The chapter contains some illuminating examples of self-adjoint extensions. Chapter 4 provides a solid introduction to the theory of rigged Hilbert spaces (see also the pair of monographs by \textit{Yu. M. Berezanskiĭ} [Expansions in eigenfunctions of selfadjoint operators. Providence, R.I.: American Mathematical Society (1968; Zbl 0157.16601)] and [\textit{Yu. M. Berezanskij}, Selfadjoint operators in spaces of functions of infinitely many variables. Providence, R.I.: American Mathematical Society (1986; Zbl 0596.47019)]). In Chapter 5, the authors study one of the most important foundations of this book, the properties of singular quadratic forms. Other topics discussed in this short chapter include the canonical decomposition of positive quadratic forms and singular quadratic forms. Chapter 6 deals with the following important question: ``Under what condition(s) is a subset of a Hilbert space continuously embedded into another Hilbert space?''. Chapter 7, the heart of the book under review, contains the basic constructions and results obtained by the method of rigged Hilbert spaces in the theory of singular perturbations. This chapter also investigates connections between singularly perturbed operators and chains of rigged spaces. Chapter 8 deals with perturbations whose influence is concentrated outside of the domain of essential self-adjointness of the free Hamiltonian. The final Chapter 9 demonstrates some concrete applications of the method of rigged spaces. The list of references to earlier and related work is very useful and will be an added benefit to the reader. This well written book is a very welcome addition, filling a significant gap in the literature on singular perturbation theory.