Spectral asymptotics for resolvent differences of elliptic operators with \(\delta\) and \(\delta^{'}\)-interactions on hypersurfaces (Q906570)

Let \(\Sigma \subset {\mathbb R}^n\) be a closed smooth compact hypersurface that decomposes \({\mathbb R}^n\) into a bounded domain \(\Omega_-\) and an unbounded domain \(\Omega_+\) with common boundary \(\Sigma\). Let \[ (Au)(x) = -\sum_{j,k=1}^n\partial_j(a_{jk}(x)\partial_k u)(x) + a(x)u(x) \] be symmetric and uniformly strongly elliptic in \({\mathbb R}^n\) with real \(C_b^{\infty}\) coefficients. The authors consider realizations of \(A\) in \(L^2({\mathbb R}^n)\) subject to coupling conditions of \(\delta\)- and \(\delta'\)-type supported on \(\Sigma\). More precisely, let \(A_{\delta,\alpha}\) be the operator that acts like \(A\) on functions \(u_{\pm} \in H^2(\Omega_{\pm})\) such that \(u_+\big|_{\Sigma} = u_-\big|_{\Sigma}\) and \(\nu^+u_+ + \nu^-u_- = \alpha u\big|_{\Sigma}\), where \(\nu^{\pm}u_{\pm}\) are the outward conormal derivatives on \(\Sigma\) of \(u_{\pm}\) from the respective sides, and \(\alpha \in C^{\infty}(\Sigma)\) is real-valued. Similarly, \(A_{\delta',\beta}\) is the operator that acts like \(A\) on functions \(u_{\pm} \in H^2(\Omega_{\pm})\) such that \(\nu^+u_+ + \nu^-u_- = 0\) on \(\Sigma\), and \(u_+\big|_{\Sigma} - u_-\big|_{\Sigma} = \beta \nu^+u_+\) with a real-valued function \(\beta \in C^{\infty}(\Sigma)\) that is nowhere vanishing. These realizations of \(A\) in \(L^2({\mathbb R}^n)\) are self-adjoint and bounded from below. Let \(A_0\) denote the free realization of \(A\) in \(L^2({\mathbb R}^n)\) with domain \(H^2({\mathbb R}^n)\). Assuming invertibility of all operators (which can be obtained after shifting), the authors consider the resolvent differences \(A_{\delta,\alpha}^{-1} - A_0^{-1}\) and \(A_{\delta',\beta}^{-1} - A_0^{-1}\) in \(L^2({\mathbb R}^n)\). These are compact operators, and the authors prove asymptotic formulas for their singular values. More precisely, they show that \[ s_k(A_{\delta,\alpha}^{-1} - A_0^{-1}) = C_{\delta,\alpha}k^{-\frac{3}{n-1}} + o(k^{-\frac{3}{n-1}}) \] as \(k \to \infty\), where the remainder improves to \(O(k^{-\frac{4}{n-1}})\) if \(\alpha\) is nowhere vanishing on \(\Sigma\), and \[ s_k(A_{\delta',\beta}^{-1} - A_0^{-1}) = C_{\delta'}k^{-\frac{2}{n-1}} + O(k^{-\frac{3}{n-1}}) \] as \(k \to \infty\). The authors give explicit formulas for the leading constants \(C_{\delta,\alpha}\) and \(C_{\delta'}\) (where \(C_{\delta'}\) is independent of \(\beta\)). They also prove a similar asymptotic formula for the singular values of the resolvent difference of the \(\delta'\)-realization and the two-sided Neumann realization instead of the free realization. The proof is based on pseudodifferential techniques for boundary value problems (Boutet de Monvel's calculus) and Krein-type resolvent formulas which reduce the problem to classical results on spectral asymptotics of pseudodifferential operators on closed manifolds (here applied to operators on \(\Sigma\)).