Reconstruction of a radially symmetric potential from two spectral sequences (Q5957156)

The authors want to recover the radial potential \(q\) in the eigenvalue problem \[ -\Delta u(x)+q(|x|)u(x)=\lambda u(x),\quad \text{ if } |x|<1,\qquad u(x)=0,\quad \text{ if } |x|=1, \] starting from solutions of the form \(u(r,\theta,\varphi)=r^{-1}\psi(r)Y^m_l(\theta,\varphi)\), where \((r,\theta,\varphi)\) are spherical coordinates and \(Y^m_l\) are spherical harmonics. \noindent Of course, the family of eigenvalue problems for \(\psi\) \[ \begin{aligned} & A_l(q)u(r)\equiv \psi''(r) + \big[ \lambda - q(r) - l(l+1)r^{-2}\big]\psi(r)=0,\;r\in (0,1),\\ & \psi(1)=0,\;\psi(r)=O(r)\text{ as } r\to 0+,\end{aligned}\tag{1} \] where \(l\in {\mathbb{N}}\), is highly overdetermined. Consequently, the authors consider the problem of recovering \(q\) in (1) when a family of spectral data \(\{\lambda_{l,n}\}_{(l,n)\in \Lambda}\) is given. Moreover, they introduce the nonlinear operator \[ F_\Lambda(q) = \{ \Psi_1(1,\lambda_{l,n}(q),q)\}_{(l,n)\in \Lambda}, \tag{2} \] \(\Psi_1(r,\lambda,q)\) denoting the solution to (1) satisfying the normalization condition \[ \lim_{r\to 0+} r^{-l-1}\Psi_1(r,\lambda,q)=1. \] The main purpose of the paper consists of showing that the linearization of problem (2) around \(q=0\) \textit{uniquely} determines a small potential \(q\). As a consequence, the authors must show that the kernel of the linearized operator, given by \[ D_qF_\Lambda(0)\zeta = \Big\{ c_{l,n}\int_0^1 r^2 j_l^2(\lambda_{l,n}(0)^{1/2}r)\zeta(r) dr\Big\}_{(l,n)\in \Lambda},\qquad c_{l,n}\neq 0, \] coincides with \(\{0\}\), where \(j_l\) are the spherical Bessel functions with standard normalization. Moreover, from the asymptotic relationships for the \(\lambda_{l,n}(q)\)'s it follows \(\int_0^1 \zeta(r) dr=0\). \noindent Assuming \(\Lambda=\Lambda_{l_1,l_2}=\{l_1,l_2\}\times {\mathbb{N}}\), the assertion will be implied by the (possible) completeness in \(H=\big\{\zeta \in L^2(0,1):\int_0^1 \zeta(r) dr=0\big\}\) of the set \(\Phi_{l_1,l_2}=\{\varphi_{l}(\lambda_{l,n}(0)^{1/2}r)\}_{(l,n)\in \Lambda_{l_1,l_2}}\), where \(\varphi_{l}(r)=rj_l(r)\). However, the authors limit themselves to showing the completeness of the previous set when \(\lambda_{l,n}(0)\) is replaced with \((n+l/2)^2\pi^2\), the leading term in its asymptotic expansion. Finally, the authors show that \(\Phi_{l,l+1}\) is complete in \(H\) if \(l=0,1,2,3\). Numerical examples are also provided.