Semiclassical analysis of low and zero energy scattering for one-dimensional Schrödinger operators with inverse square potentials (Q999846)

This paper studies the scattering matrix \(S(E;\hbar)\) of the problem \[ -\hbar^2 \psi''(x) + V(x) \psi(x) = E\psi(x) \] for potentials \(V\in C^\infty({\mathbb R})\) such that \(V>0\), \(V=\mu_\pm x^{-2}+W(x), \mu_+\neq 0, \mu_-\neq 0\) as \(x\to\pm\infty\), where \(\partial_x^k W(x)=O(x^{-3-k})\) for all \(k\geq 0\). It is shown that each entry takes the form \(S_{ij}(E;\hbar)=S_{ij}^{(0)}(E;\hbar)(1+\hbar \sigma_{ij}(E;\hbar))\) where \(S_{ij}^{(0)}(E;\hbar)\) is the WKB approximation relative to the \textit{modified potential} \(V(x)+ {{\hbar^2}\over{4}} \langle x\rangle^{-2}\) and the correction terms \(\sigma_{ij}\) satisfy \(|\partial_E^k \sigma_{ij}(E;\hbar)| \leq C_k E^{-k}\) for all \(k\geq0\) and uniformly in \((E,\hbar)\in (0,E_0)\times (0,\hbar_0)\) where \(E_0,\hbar_0\) are small constants. This asymptotic behavior is not universal: if \(-\hbar^2\partial_x^2 + V\) has a \textit{zero energy resonance}, then \(S(E;\hbar)\) exhibits different asymptotic behavior as \(E\to 0\). The resonant case is excluded due to \(V>0\).