Inverse Spectral Theory

The aim of this book is to provide basic knowledge of the inverse problems arising in various areas in mathematics, physics, engineering, and medical science. These practical problems boil down to the mathematical question in which one tries to recover the operator (coefficients) or the domain (manifolds) from spectral data. The characteristic properties of the operators in question are often reduced to those of Schrödinger operators. We start from the 1-dimensional theory to observe the main features of inverse spectral problems and then proceed to multi-dimensions. The first milestone is the Borg–Levinson theorem in the inverse Dirichlet problem in a bounded domain elucidating basic motivation of the inverse problem as well as the difference between 1-dimension and multi-dimension. The main theme is the inverse scattering, in which the spectral data is Heisenberg’s S-matrix defined through the observation of the asymptotic behavior at infinity of solutions. Significant progress has been made in the past 30 years by using the Faddeev–Green function or the complex geometrical optics solution by Sylvester and Uhlmann, which made it possible to reconstruct the potential from the S-matrix of one fixed energy. One can also prove the equivalence of the knowledge of S-matrix and that of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map for boundary value problems in bounded domains. We apply this idea also to the Dirac equation, the Maxwell equation, and discrete Schrödinger operators on perturbed lattices. Our final topic is the boundary control method introduced by Belishev and Kurylev, which is for the moment the only systematic method for the reconstruction of the Riemannian metric from the boundary observation, which we apply to the inverse scattering on non-compact manifolds. We stress that this book focuses on the lucid exposition of these problems and mathematical backgrounds by explaining the basic knowledge of functional analysis and spectral theory, omitting the technical details in order to make the book accessible to graduate students as an introduction to partial differential equations (PDEs) and functional analysis.

Canonical systems occupy a central position in the spectral theory of second order differential operators. They may be used to realize arbitrary spectral data, and the classical operators such as Schrödinger, Jacobi, Dirac, and Sturm-Liouville equations can be written in this form. ‘Spectral Theory of Canonical Systems’ offers a selfcontained and detailed introduction to this theory. Techniques to construct self-adjoint realizations in suitable Hilbert spaces, a modern treatment of de Branges spaces, and direct and inverse spectral problems are discussed. Contents Basic definitions Symmetric and self-adjoint relations Spectral representation Transfer matrices and de Branges spaces Inverse spectral theory Some applications The absolutely continuous spectrum

Here is a clearly written introduction to three central areas of inverse problems: inverse problems in electromagnetic scattering theory, inverse spectral theory, and inverse problems in quantum scattering theory. Inverse problems, one of the most attractive parts of applied mathematics, attempt to obtain information about structures by nondestructive measurements. Based on a series of lectures presented by three of the authors, all experts in the field, the book provides a quick and easy way for readers to become familiar with the area through a survey of recent developments in inverse spectral and inverse scattering problems.

This text offers background in function theory, Hardy functions, and probability as preparation for surveys of Gaussian processes, strings and spectral functions, and strings and spaces of integral functions. It addresses the relationship between the past and the future of a real, one-dimensional, stationary Gaussian process. 1976 edition.

Since the seminal work of P. Anderson in 1958, localization in disordered systems has been the object of intense investigations. Mathematically speaking, the phenomenon can be described as follows: the self-adjoint operators which are used as Hamiltonians for these systems have a ten dency to have pure point spectrum, especially in low dimension or for large disorder. A lot of effort has been devoted to the mathematical study of the random self-adjoint operators relevant to the theory of localization for disordered systems. It is fair to say that progress has been made and that the un derstanding of the phenomenon has improved. This does not mean that the subject is closed. Indeed, the number of important problems actually solved is not larger than the number of those remaining. Let us mention some of the latter: • A proof of localization at all energies is still missing for two dimen sional systems, though it should be within reachable range. In the case of the two dimensional lattice, this problem has been approached by the investigation of a finite discrete band, but the limiting pro cedure necessary to reach the full two-dimensional lattice has never been controlled. • The smoothness properties of the density of states seem to escape all attempts in dimension larger than one. This problem is particularly serious in the continuous case where one does not even know if it is continuous.

This text introduces geometric spectral theory in the context of infinite-area Riemann surfaces, providing a comprehensive account of the most recent developments in the field. For the second edition the context has been extended to general surfaces with hyperbolic ends, which provides a natural setting for development of the spectral theory while still keeping technical difficulties to a minimum. All of the material from the first edition is included and updated, and new sections have been added. Topics covered include an introduction to the geometry of hyperbolic surfaces, analysis of the resolvent of the Laplacian, scattering theory, resonances and scattering poles, the Selberg zeta function, the Poisson formula, distribution of resonances, the inverse scattering problem, Patterson-Sullivan theory, and the dynamical approach to the zeta function. The new sections cover the latest developments in the field, including the spectral gap, resonance asymptotics near the critical line, and sharp geometric constants for resonance bounds. A new chapter introduces recently developed techniques for resonance calculation that illuminate the existing results and conjectures on resonance distribution. The spectral theory of hyperbolic surfaces is a point of intersection for a great variety of areas, including quantum physics, discrete groups, differential geometry, number theory, complex analysis, and ergodic theory. This book will serve as a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers from these and other related fields. Review of the first edition: "The exposition is very clear and thorough, and essentially self-contained; the proofs are detailed...The book gathers together some material which is not always easily available in the literature...To conclude, the book is certainly at a level accessible to graduate students and researchers from a rather large range of fields. Clearly, the reader...would certainly benefit greatly from it." (Colin Guillarmou, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2008 h)