The lower bound of the Ricci curvature that yields an infinite discrete spectrum of the Laplacian (Q407798)

The paper is concerned with the spectral analysis of the Laplace-Beltrami operator \(\Delta\) on a non-compact complete Riemannian manifold \(M\). In many examples it is known that the essential spectrum \(\sigma_{ess}(-\Delta)\) of \(-\Delta\) is bounded from below by a positive number. The discrete spectrum lies below that number and can either be finite or infinite. In this situation the author gives various criteria for the appearance of an infinite discrete spectrum below the bottom of the essential spectrum. More precisely, these criteria are in terms of certain curvature estimates. By considering the special case of a rotationally symmetric Riemannian manifold it is shown that these curvature assumptions are in fact sharp. In the last part of the paper and again assuming a curvature estimate, the author determines bounds \(c>0\) such that \(\sigma_{ess}(-\Delta)\cup [0,c]\neq \emptyset\). Partly these are generalizations of results by H. Donnelly.