This book provides a self-contained treatment of two of the main problems of multiparameter spectral theory: the existence of eigenvalues and the expansion in series of eigenfunctions. The results are first obtained in abstract Hilbert spaces and then applied to integral operators and differential operators. Special attention is paid to various definiteness conditions which can be imposed on multiparameter eigenvalue problems. The reader is not assumed to be familiar with multiparameter spectral theory but should have some knowledge of functional analysis, in particular of Brower's degree of maps.

Multiparameter eigenvalue problems

One of the masters in the differential equations community, the late F.V. Atkinson contributed seminal research to multiparameter spectral theory and Sturm-Liouville theory. His ideas and techniques have long inspired researchers and continue to stimulate discussion. With the help of co-author Angelo B. Mingarelli, Multiparameter Eigenvalue Problem

The papers selected for publication here, many of them written by leaders in the field, bring readers up to date on recent achievements in modern operator theory and applications. The book’s subject matter is of practical use to a wide audience in mathematical and engineering sciences.