We discuss the limit of small width for the Laplacian defined on a waveguide with Robin boundary conditions. Under suitable hypothesis on the scaling of the curvature, we prove the convergence of the Robin Laplacian to the Laplacian on the corresponding graph. We show that the projections on each transverse mode generically give rise to decoupling conditions between the edges of the graph while exceptionally a coupling can occur. The non decoupling conditions are related to the existence of resonances at the thresholds of the continuum spectrum.
We consider the Laplacian in a curved two-dimensional strip of constant width squeezed between two curves, subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions on one of the curves and variable Robin boundary conditions on the other. We prove that, for certain types of Robin boundary conditions, the spectral threshold of the Laplacian is estimated from below by the lowest eigenvalue of the Laplacian in a Dirichlet-Robin annulus determined by the geometry of the strip. Moreover, we show that an appropriate combination of the geometric setting and boundary conditions leads to a Hardy-type inequality in infi…
We consider a magnetic Schroedinger operator in a planar infinite strip with frequently and non-periodically alternating Dirichlet and Robin boundary conditions. Assuming that the homogenized boundary condition is the Dirichlet or the Robin one, we establish the uniform resolvent convergence in various operator norms and we prove the estimates for the rates of convergence. It is shown that these estimates can be improved by using special boundary correctors. In the case of periodic alternation, pure Laplacian, and the homogenized Robin boundary condition, we construct two-terms asymptotics for…
We consider the Laplace operator in a thin three dimensional tube with a Robin type condition on its boundary and study, asymptotically, the spectrum of such operator as the diameter of the tube's cross section becomes infinitesimal. In contrast with the Dirichlet condition case, we evidence different behaviors depending on a symmetry criterium for the fundamental mode in the cross section. If that symmetry condition fails, then we prove the localization of lower energy levels in the vicinity of the minimum point of a suitable function on the tube's axis depending on the curvature and the rota…
We investigate spectral properties of a quantum particle confined to an infinite straight planar strip by imposing Robin boundary conditions with variable coupling. Assuming that the coupling function tends to a constant at infinity, we localize the essential spectrum and derive a sufficient condition which guarantees the existence of bound states. Further properties of the associated eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are studied numerically by the mode-matching technique.
We consider the Laplacian in a tubular neighbourhood of a hyperplane subjected to non-self-adjoint $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric Robin boundary conditions. Its spectrum is found to be purely essential and real for constant boundary conditions. The influence of the perturbation in the boundary conditions on the threshold of the essential spectrum is studied using the Birman-Schwinger principle. Our aim is to derive a sufficient condition for existence, uniqueness and reality of discrete eigenvalues. We show that discrete spectrum exists when the perturbation acts in the mean against the unperturbed …
We analyze bound states of Robin Laplacian in infinite planar domains with a smooth boundary, in particular, their relations to the geometry of the latter. The domains considered have locally straight boundary being, for instance, locally deformed halfplanes or wedges, or infinite strips, alternatively they are the exterior of a bounded obstacle. In the situation when the Robin condition is strongly attractive, we derive a two-term asymptotic formula in which the next-to-leading term is determined by the extremum of the boundary curvature. We also discuss the non-asymptotic case of attractive …
The Laplacian in an unbounded tubular neighbourhood of a hyperplane with non-Hermitian complex-symmetric Robin-type boundary conditions is investigated in the limit when the width of the neighbourhood diminishes. We show that the Laplacian converges in a norm resolvent sense to a self-adjoint Schroedinger operator in the hyperplane whose potential is expressed solely in terms of the boundary coupling function. As a consequence, we are able to explain some peculiar spectral properties of the non-Hermitian Laplacian by known results for Schroedinger operators.
We describe the boundary conditions at the vertex that one must choose to obtain a dynamical system that best describes the low-energy part of the evolution of a quantum system confined to a very small neighbourhood of a star-shaped metric graph.
We study the Neumann Laplacian operator $-Δ_Ω^N$ restricted to a twisted waveguide $Ω$. The goal is to find the effective operator when the diameter of $Ω$ tends to zero. However, when $Ω$ is "squeezed" there are divergent eigenvalues due to the transverse oscillations. We show that each one of these eigenvalues influences the action of the effective operator in a different way. In the case where $Ω$ is periodic and sufficiently thin, we find information about the absolutely continuous spectrum of $-Δ_Ω^N$ and the existence and location of band gaps in its structure.
We consider a waveguide-like domain consisting of two thin straight tubular domains connected through a tiny window. The perpendicular size of this waveguide is of order $\varepsilon$. Under the assumption that the window is appropriately scaled we prove that the Neumann Laplacian on this domain converges in (a kind of) norm resolvent sense as $\varepsilon\to 0$ to a one-dimensional Schrödinger operator corresponding to a $δ'$-interaction of a non-negative strength. We estimate the rate of this convergence, also we prove the convergence of spectra.
We study the Neumann Laplacian $-Δ^N$ restricted to a periodic waveguide. In this situation its spectrum $σ(-Δ^N)$ presents a band structure. Our goal and strategy is to get spectral information from an analysis of the asymptotic behavior of these bands provided that the waveguide is sufficiently thin.
We introduce a planar waveguide of constant width with non-Hermitian PT-symmetric Robin boundary conditions. We study the spectrum of this system in the regime when the boundary coupling function is a compactly supported perturbation of a homogeneous coupling. We prove that the essential spectrum is positive and independent of such perturbation, and that the residual spectrum is empty. Assuming that the perturbation is small in the supremum norm, we show that it gives rise to real weakly-coupled eigenvalues converging to the threshold of the essential spectrum. We derive sufficient conditions …
In a thin multidimensional layer we consider a second order differential PT-symmetric operator. The operator is of rather general form and its coefficients are arbitrary functions depending both on slow and fast variables. The PT-symmetry of the operator is ensured by the boundary conditions of Robin type with pure imaginary coefficient. In the work we determine the limiting operator, prove the uniform resolvent convergence of the perturbed operator to the limiting one, and derive the estimates for the rates of convergence. We establish the convergence of the spectrum of perturbed operator to …
We consider a family $\{Ω^\varepsilon\}_{\varepsilon>0}$ of periodic domains in $\mathbb{R}^2$ with waveguide geometry and analyse spectral properties of the Neumann Laplacian $-Δ_{Ω^\varepsilon}$ on $Ω^\varepsilon$. The waveguide $Ω^\varepsilon$ is a union of a thin straight strip of the width $\varepsilon$ and a family of small protuberances with the so-called "room-and-passage" geometry. The protuberances are attached periodically, with a period $\varepsilon$, along the strip upper boundary. For $\varepsilon\to 0$ we prove a (kind of) resolvent convergence of $-Δ_{Ω^\varepsilon}$ to a certa…
Consider the Dirichlet Laplacian operator $-Δ^D$ in a periodic waveguide $Ω$. On the condition that $Ω$ is sufficiently thin, we show that its spectrum $σ(-Δ^D)$ is absolutely continuous (in each finite region). In addition, we ensure the existence of at least one gap in $σ(-Δ^D)$ and locate it.
We analyze the problem of approximating a smooth quantum waveguide with a quantum graph. We consider a planar curve with compactly supported curvature and a strip of constant width around the curve. We rescale the curvature and the width in such a way that the strip can be approximated by a singular limit curve, consisting of one vertex and two infinite, straight edges, i.e. a broken line. We discuss the convergence of the Laplacian, with Dirichlet boundary conditions on the strip, in a suitable sense and we obtain two possible limits: the Laplacian on the line with Dirichlet boundary conditio…
We consider the two-dimensional Dirac operator with infinite mass boundary conditions posed in a tubular neighborhood of a $C^4$-planar curve. Under generic assumptions on its curvature $κ$, we prove that in the thin-width regime the splitting of the eigenvalues is driven by the one dimensional Schrödinger operator on $L^2(\mathbb R)$ \[ \mathcal{L}_e := -\frac{d^2}{ds^2} - \frac{κ^2}{π^2} \] with a geometrically induced potential. The eigenvalues are shown to be at distance of order $\varepsilon$ from the essential spectrum, where $2\varepsilon$ is the width of the waveguide. This is in contr…
A thin two-layered waveguide is considered. The governing equations for this waveguide is a matrix Klein--Gordon equation of dimension~2. A formal solution of this system in the form of a double integral can be obtained by using Fourier transformation. Then, the double integral can be reduced to a single integral with the help of residue integration with respect to the time frequency. However, such an integral can be difficult to estimate since it involves branching and oscillating functions. This integral is studied asymptotically. A zone diagram technique is proposed to represent the set of …
We consider a system of $N$ bosons confined to a thin waveguide, i.e.\ to a region of space within an $\varepsilon$-tube around a curve in $\mathbb{R}^3$. We show that when taking simultaneously the NLS limit $N\to \infty$ and the limit of strong confinement $\varepsilon\to 0$, the time-evolution of such a system starting in a state close to a Bose-Einstein condensate is approximately captured by a non-linear Schrödinger equation in one dimension. The strength of the non-linearity in this Gross-Pitaevskii type equation depends on the shape of the cross-section of the waveguide, while the "bend…
The effects induced by the quantum vacuum fluctuations of one massless real scalar field on a configuration of two partially transparent plates are investigated. The physical properties of the infinitely thin plates are simulated by means of Dirac-$δ-δ^\prime$ point interactions. It is shown that the distortion caused on the fluctuations by this external background gives rise to a generalization of Robin boundary conditions. The $T$-operator for potentials concentrated on points with non defined parity is computed with total generality. The quantum vacuum interaction energy between the two pla…
