Separated Dirac operators and asymptotically constant linear systems (Q4357744)

In relativistic quantum mechanics there arises a family of modified Dirac operators of the form \[ \sigma_3+ \sigma_2(1/i)(d/dr)+ \sigma_1((k/r)+ aV'(r))+ \sigma_0V(r),\quad 0< r< \infty,\tag{1} \] where \(\sigma_1\), \(\sigma_2\), \(\sigma_3\) are Pauli matrices, and \(\sigma_0\) is the 2 by 2 unit matrix. The purpose of this article is to show that all the important limit point and limit circle criteria that pertain to the operators (1) flow from the following known theorem: If \(A\) is a constant \(n\) by \(n\) matrix with eigenvalues \(\lambda_1,\dots,\lambda_n\), and if \(R(t)\) is an \(n\) by \(n\) matrix function with entries in \[ {\mathfrak h}:= \Biggl\{f\in{\mathcal L}^1_{\text{loc}}([t_0, \infty)): \lim_{t\to\infty} \Biggl[\sup_{s\geq t} (1+ s- t)^{-1} \int^s_t| f(r)| dr\Biggr]= 0\Biggr\}, \] then \(\xi'= [A+ R(t)]\xi\) has a fundamental system \(\xi_1,\dots, \xi_n\) of solutions with the property that \(\lim_{t\to\infty} (1/t)\log |\xi_j(t)|= \text{Re }\lambda_j\). The procedure used involves application of the above theorem to the equation \[ By'+ P(x)y= 0\tag{2} \] on the interval \(I:= (0,x_0]\), where \(B\) is the 2 by 2 matrix with first row \((0,1)\) and second row \((-1,0)\), and \(P(x)\) is a 2 by 2 matrix with first row \((P_1(x), P_3(x))\) and second row \((P_3(x), P_2(x))\). For example, it is proved that if \(c_1\), \(c_2\), \(k\) are real numbers and \(\lambda\) is a branch of \(\sqrt{k^2- c_1c_2}\), and if \(U_1,U_2: I\to\mathbb{R}\) are functions for which \(e^{-t}U_j(e^{- t})\) lies in \({\mathfrak h}\), then (2) with \(P_j(x)= c_j/x+ U_j(x)\), \(P_3(x)= k/x\) has a fundamental system of solutions \(y_{\pm}\) with \[ | y_{\pm}(x)|= x^{\pm\text{Re }\lambda+ o(1)} \] as \(x\to 0\). Under certain additional conditions on the \(U_j(x)\) it follows that (2) is in the limit point case at zero if \(c_1c_2< k^2- (1/4)\) and in the limit circle case if \(c_1c_2> k^2- (1/4)\). Several other results of this nature are proved. The results obtained cover Dirac systems that describe particles with a normal magnetic moment and with an anomalous magnetic moment.