Generic singular spectrum for ergodic Schrödinger operators (Q816346)

Consider a homeomorphism \(T:\Omega\to\Omega\) on a compact metric space, and a \(T\)-ergodic probability measure \(\mu\) on \(\Omega\); assume \(T\) is non-periodic, so that \(\mu\) be non-atomic, and for a bounded and measurable function \(f:\Omega\to\mathbb{R}\), define the random Schrödinger operator \(H_{\omega}\) through \(H_{\omega}\varphi=\Delta \varphi+V_{\omega}\cdot\varphi \), where \(\varphi(n)\) is a function of \(n\in\mathbb{Z}\), whereas the random potential \(V_{\omega}\) is given through \(V_{\omega}(n)=f(T^n\omega)\). The main result of the short paper under review is that for ``most'' continuous functions \(f:\Omega\to\mathbb{R}\), the absolutely continuous spectrum of \(H_{\omega}\) is empty. More precisely, one knows that for each continuous \(f:\Omega\to\mathbb{R}\) there exists a compact set \(\Sigma_{ac}(f)\subset\mathbb{R}\) such that \(\sigma_{ac}(H_{\omega})=\Sigma_{ac}(f)\) \(\mu\)-almost surely in \(\omega\), and the precise statement is that \(\Sigma_{ac}(f)\) is empty for \(f\) varying in a certain residual subset of \(C(\Omega)\) (a residual subset of \(C(\Omega)\) contains a countable intersection of dense open subsets of \(C(\Omega)\), as such it is dense in \(C(\Omega)\)). This result is proved via an approximation of the ergodic potential \(V_{\omega}\) through discontinuous potentials which can be dealt with using Kotani theory.