Spectral properties of limit-periodic Schrödinger operators (Q652008)

The authors study Schrödinger operators \(H_\omega\) in \(\ell^2(\mathbb{Z})\) \[ [H_\omega\psi](n)=\psi(n+1)+\psi(n-1)+V_\omega(n)\psi(n), \quad n\in\mathbb{Z}, \] with dynamically defined potentials \(V_\omega(n)=f(T^n\omega)\), \(\omega\in\Omega\), where \(T\) is a homeomorphism of a compact space \(\Omega\), and \(f\) a real valued continuous sampling function on \(\Omega\). Let \(\Omega\) be a Cantor group (that is, a totally disconnected compact Abelian topological group with no isolated points) and \(T\omega=\omega+\alpha\), \(\alpha\in\Omega\), be a minimal translation (i.e., the orbit \(\{T^n\omega:\;n\in\mathbb{Z}\}\) of every \(\omega\in\Omega\) is dense in \(\Omega\)). The main result of the paper is the following. Theorem 1.2. (a) For a dense set of \(f\) and every \(\omega\in\Omega\), the spectrum of \(H_\omega\) is a Cantor set of positive Lebesgue measure, and \(H_\omega\) has purely absolutely continuous spectrum. (b) For a dense \(G_\delta\) set of \(f\) and every \(\omega\in\Omega\), the spectrum of \(H_\omega\) is a Cantor set of zero Lebesgue measure, and \(H_\omega\) has purely singular continuous spectrum.