On the negative spectrum of the two-dimensional Schrödinger operator with radial potential (Q444624)

For the Schrödinger operator \(H_{\alpha V} := -\Delta -\alpha V\) with nonnegative potential \(V(x)\) in \(d\)-dimensional space \({\mathbb R}^d\), the number \(N_-(H_{\alpha V})\) of its negative eigenvalues is known to have the asymptotic order \(O(\alpha^{d/2})\) of the semi-classical growth as the coupling constant \(\alpha\) tends to \(\infty\), in \(d\geq 3\) (the Cwikel-Lieb-Rozenblum estimate) and also in \(d=1\). In the paper under review, the authors consider the case of dimension 2 for radially symmetric potentials \(V(x) =F(|x|)\) with \(F(r)\) a function of \(r>0\), and prove the following nice result giving the necessary and sufficient conditions, in terms of the so-called ``weak \(\ell_1\)-space'', for the validity of the correct order estimate \(N_-(H_{\alpha V}) = O(\alpha)\) and of the Weyl asymptotics: Let \(\zeta = \{\zeta_k\}_{k=0}^{\infty}\) be the sequence of real numbers defined with \(F(r)\) by \[ \zeta_0 = \int_{-1}^1 e^{2|t|}F(e^t) dt,\,\,\,\, \zeta_k = \int_{|t|\in (e^{k-1},e^k)} |t|e^{2|t|}F(e^t) dt, \quad k=1,2, \dots. \] Then (i) \(N_-(H_{\alpha V}) = O(\alpha)\) if and only if \(V \in L^1({\mathbb R}^2)\) and \(\zeta\) belongs to \(\ell_{1,\infty}\). In this case it further holds that \[ N_-(H_{\alpha V}) \leq 1+ \alpha\Big(\int_0^{\infty} rF(r)dr + C \|\zeta\|_{1,\infty}\Big) \tag{1} \] with a constant \(C\) independent of \(F\). (ii) The Weyl asymptotic formula \[ \lim_{\alpha\rightarrow\infty} \alpha^{-1}N_-(H_{\alpha,V}) = \frac1{4\pi}\int_{{\mathbb R}^2} V(x) dx = \frac12 \int_0^{\infty} rF(r)dr \] holds if and only if \(V \in L^1({\mathbb R}^2)\) and \(\zeta\) belongs to \(\ell_{1,\infty}^0\). Here \(\ell_{1,\infty}\) stands for the quasi-normed linear (sequence) space, called weak \(\ell_1\)-space, which consists of all the sequences \(z= \{z_k\}_{k=0}^{\infty}\) of real numbers such that the non-increasing rearrangement \(\{z_k^*\}_{k=0}^{\infty}\) of the sequence \(\{|z_k|\}_{k=0}^{\infty}\) of its absolute values decays as \(O(k^{-1})\) for large \(k\), and is equipped with the ``quasi-norm'' \(\|z\|_{1,\infty} := \sup_k (kz_k^*)\). \(\ell_{1,\infty}^0\) is the closed subspace of \(\ell_{1,\infty}\) consisting of all the sequences \(z= \{z_k\}_{k=0}^{\infty} \) with only a finitely many non-zero terms. The authors compare their result with some other relevant ones. Among them, a significant one is the comparison of their asymptotics (1) with the result obtained by \textit{K. Chadan} et al. [J. Math. Phys. 44, No. 2, 406--422 (2003; Zbl 1061.81072)]: \[ N_-(H_{\alpha V}) \leq 1 + \alpha\Big(\int_0^{\infty} rF(r)\Big|\ln\, \frac{r}{R}\Big|\, dr + \frac{2}{\sqrt{3}}\int_0^{\infty} rF(r) dr\Big), \tag{2} \] where \(R>0\) is an arbitrary constant, which one can take so as to minimize the estimate. Indeed, (1) is sharper than (2), but (2) has an advantage of estimating \(N_-(H_{\alpha V})\) by some explicitly given integrals, while (1) does not allow to specify the value of the constant \(C\) in the estimate due to the real interpolation method used.