Resonances for Euler-Bernoulli operator on the half-line (Q525981)

Let \(H_0\) be the operator \((d/dr)^4\) in \(L^2\) on a half-line with Dirichlet boundary conditions at the regular endpoint. Its resolvent \(R_0\) is regarded as a function of the non-zero complex variable \(k\) with \(k^4=\lambda\). A perturbation \(V:=2(d/dr)p(d/dr)+q\) with compactly supported functions \(p\) and \(q\) is considered, which makes \(H:=H_0+V\) self-adjoint with a purely absolutely continuous spectrum \([0,\infty)\) plus a finite number of simple eigenvalues. Factorizing \(V=V_1V_2\) in a suitable way, \(Y_0:=V_2R_0(k)V_1\) is the trace class for \(k\) in the open first quadrant \(K_1\), and \(kY_0(k)\) is an entire function. The Fredholm determinant \(D:=\det (1+Y_0)\) is analytic on \(K_1\) and has an analytic extension onto the complex plane without zero, which makes \(kD(k)\) an entire function. The resonances of \(H\) are by definition the zeros of \(D\) in the complement of the closure of \(K_1\). The authors prove sharp estimates for \(|D|\) and for \(N(r)\), the number of zeros of \(D\) in a disc of radius \(r\) (counting multiplicities), which enable them to describe the asymptotic behaviour of the resonances in detail. A careful comparison with the situation in the second-order case is also made.