Scattering theory for Klein-Gordon equations with non-positive energy (Q425127)

The author studies charged Klein-Gordon equations: \[ \begin{cases} (\partial_{t}- \text{i} v(x))^{2}\phi(t,x)+\epsilon^{2}(x, D_{x})\phi(t,x)=0, \\ \phi(0, x)= f_{0},\\ \text{i}^{-1} \partial_{t}\phi(0, x)= f_{1},\end{cases} \] in \({\mathbb R}_t\times {\mathbb R}_x^n\), where \[ \epsilon^{2}(x, D_{x})= -\sum_{1\leq j, k\leq n} \left( \partial_{x_{j}}-\text{i} b_{j}(x)\right)a^{jk}(x)\left( \partial_{x_{k}}-\text{i} b_{k}(x)\right)+ m^{2}(x), \] describing a Klein-Gordon field minimally coupled to an external electromagnetic field described by the (real) electric potential \(v(x)\) and magnetic potential \({\vec{b}(x)}\). The function \(x \to m(x)\) corresponds to a variable mass term. Typical assumptions are \[ \partial_x^\alpha v(x), \partial_x^\alpha b_j(x), \partial_x^\alpha([a^{jk}]-1), \partial_x^\alpha(m(x)-m)\in O\left(\langle x\rangle^{-\mu-|\alpha|}\right) \] for some \(\mu > 0\). The Cauchy problem can be rewritten as \[ f^t=e^{itB}f, B=-\left(\begin{matrix} 0 & 1 \\ \epsilon^{2}-v^2 & 2v \end{matrix}\right), f^t=\left(\begin{matrix} \phi(t) \\ -i\partial_t\phi(t) \end{matrix}\right). \] The evolution \(e^{itB}\) preserves the energy: \[ h[f, f]:= \int _{{\mathbb R}^{n}} \overline{f}_{1}(x) f_{1}(x)+ \overline{f}_{0}(x)\epsilon^{2}(x, D_{x})f_{0}(x) - \overline{f}_{0}(x) v^{2}(x) f_{0}(x) \text{d}x. \] The author considers the situation when the energy is not positive (i.e., \(\|v\|_\infty\) is too large). In this case, the generator \(B\) may have complex eigenvalues, or real eigenvalues with non-trivial Jordan blocks, and \(e^{itB}\) cannot be written as a unitary group on a Hilbert space, and the Klein-Gordon equation may have complex eigenfrequencies. The aim of the author is to obtain a complete classification of the asymptotic behavior of \(e^{itB}\) for all initial data \(f\), when \(t\to\pm\infty\). The main tool is the framework of Krein spaces. Using the theory of definitizable operators on Krein spaces (these operators are quite close to selfadjoint operators on a Hilbert space) and time-dependent methods, the author proves the existence and completeness of wave operators, both in the short- (\(\mu > 1\)) and long-range (\(0<\mu\leq 1\)) cases. The range of the wave operators is characterized in terms of the spectral theory of the generator, as in the usual Hilbert space case.