Second order semiclassics with self-generated magnetic fields (Q425118)

The authors consider semiclassical Pauli and Schrödinger operators with self-generated magnetic field and smooth exterior electric potential. They show in both cases that the second term in the semiclassical asymtotics of the trace of the negative spectrum vanishes. Given a smooth electric potential \(V\) and a smooth magnetic potential \(A\), the authors consider the trace of the negative spectrum of the one-body semiclassical Pauli (resp. Schrödinger) operator. Adding the (classical) field energy to the trace, they minimize among all possible vector potentials \(A\). They obtain an energy \(E\) which stands for the energy of ``the system with self-generated magnetic field''. While the leading term of the semiclassical asymptotics for this energy was shown to be of Weyl type in the paper [the first author et al., Commun. Math. Phys. 294, No. 1, 229--249 (2010; Zbl 1207.81199)], the authors prove here that, thanks to the smoothness of \(V\), the next term vanishes. This result is useful for the study of the Scott correction for such a system with self-generated magnetic field (cf. [the first author et al., Commun. Math. Phys. 312, No. 3, 847--882 (2012; Zbl 1283.81124)]), where the Coulomb singularity in \(V\) produces a non-zero second term in the asymptotics. The present proof makes use of multiscale analysis. It has to take into account that, after minimization, the self-generated vector potential \(A\) might be non smooth.