Commuting linear operators and decompositions; applications to Einstein manifolds (Q966492)

If a linear endomorphism \(D\) of an \(\mathbb{F}\)-vector space is inserted into a polynomial \(P\), then one can study the solutions of the equation \(P(D)u= 0\) of \(P(D)u= f\) by a decomposition of the space into generalized eigenspaces, by analogy with the Jordan normal form, provided that the field \(\mathbb{F}\) is algebraically closed. Moreover, one can study other decompositions of the operator \(P(D)\) as products of mutually commuting factors. In the present paper, general results on this type of decomposition are formulated, for polynomials in a single operator as well as for polynomials in commuting endomorphisms. This leads to applications in various directions. As a concrete geometric application, on Einstein spaces the general inhomogeneous problem for the conformal Laplacian operator of Graham-Jenne-Mason-Sparling (the GJMS-Operator) is studied and solved by this decomposition.