We consider a soft quantum waveguide described by a two-dimensional Schrödinger operators with an attractive potential in the form of a channel of a fixed profile built along an infinite smooth curve which is not straight but it is asymptotically straight in a suitable sense. Using Birman-Schwinger principle we show that the discrete spectrum of such an operator is nonempty if the potential well defining the channel profile is deep and narrow enough. Some related problems are also mentioned.
We discuss a three-dimensional soft quantum waveguide, in other words, Schrödinger operator in $\R^3$ with an attractive potential supported by an infinite tube and keeping its transverse profile fixed. We show that if the tube is asymptotically straight, the distance between its ends is unbounded, and its twist satisfies the so-called Tang condition, the esential spectrum is not affected by smooth bends. Furthermore, we derive a sufficient condition, expressed in terms of the tube geometry, for the discrete spectrum of such an operator to be nonempty.
We consider two-dimensional Schroedinger operators with an attractive potential in the form of a channel of a fixed profile built along an unbounded curve composed of a circular arc and two straight semi-lines. Using a test-function argument with help of parallel coordinates outside the cut-locus of the curve, we establish the existence of discrete eigenvalues. This is a special variant of a recent result of Exner in a non-smooth case and via a different technique which does not require non-positive constraining potentials.
We investigate properties of a particle confined to a hard-wall spiral-shaped region. As a case study we analyze in detail the Archimedean spiral for which the spectrum above the continuum threshold is absolutely continuous away from the thresholds. The subtle difference between the radial and perpendicular width implies, however, that in contrast to `less curved' waveguides, the discrete spectrum is empty in this case. We also discuss modifications such a multi-arm Archimedean spirals and spiral waveguides with a central cavity; in the latter case bound state already exist if the cavity excee…
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…
In this paper we consider the two-dimensional Schrödinger operator with an attractive potential which is a multiple of the characteristic function of an unbounded strip-shaped region, whose thickness is varying and is determined by the function $\mathbb{R}\ni x \mapsto d+\varepsilon f(x)$, where $d > 0$ is a constant, $\varepsilon > 0$ is a small parameter, and $f$ is a compactly supported continuous function. We prove that if $\int_{\mathbb{R}} f \,\mathsf{d} x > 0$, then the respective Schrödinger operator has a unique simple eigenvalue below the threshold of the essential spectrum for all s…
The spectral problem on a periodic domain with cracks is studied. An asymptotic form of dispersion relations is calculated under assumption that the opening of the cracks is small.
We study a Helmholtz-type spectral problem related to the propagation of electromagnetic waves in photonic crystal waveguides. The waveguide is created by introducing a linear defect into a two-dimensional periodic medium. The defect is infinitely extended and aligned with one of the coordinate axes. The perturbation is expected to introduce guided mode spectrum inside the band gaps of the fully periodic, unperturbed spectral problem. In the first part of the paper, we prove that, somewhat unexpectedly, guided mode spectrum can be created by arbitrarily "small" perturbations. Secondly we show …
We develop an abstract method to identify spectral points of definite type in the spectrum of the operator $T_1\otimes I_2 + I_1\otimes T_2$. The method is applicable in particular for non-self-adjoint waveguide type operators with symmetries. Using the remarkable properties of the spectral points of definite type, we obtain new results on realness of weakly coupled bound states and of low lying essential spectrum in the $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$-symmetric waveguide. Moreover, we show that the pseudospectrum has a normal tame behavior near the low lying essential spectrum and exclude the accumu…
Let $Ω\subset \mathbb R^3$ be a broken sheared waveguide, i.e., it is built by translating a cross-section in a constant direction along a broken line in $\mathbb R^3$. We prove that the discrete spectrum of the Dirichlet Laplacian operator in $Ω$ is non-empty and finite. Furthermore, we show a particular geometry for $Ω$ which implies that the total multiplicity of the discrete spectrum is equals 1.
The interplay among the spectrum, geometry and magnetic field in tubular neighbourhoods of curves in Euclidean spaces is investigated in the limit when the cross section shrinks to a point. Proving a norm resolvent convergence, we derive effective, lower-dimensional models which depend on the intensity of the magnetic field and curvatures. The results are used to establish complete asymptotic expansions for eigenvalues. Spectral stability properties based on Hardy-type inequalities induced by magnetic fields are also analysed.
We will study the spectral problem related to the Laplace operator in a singularly perturbed periodic waveguide. The waveguide is a quasi-cylinder with contains periodic arrangement of inclusions. On the boundary of the waveguide we consider both Neumann and Dirichlet conditions. We will prove that provided the diameter of the inclusion is small enough in the spectrum of Laplacian opens spectral gaps, i.e. frequencies that does not propagate through the waveguide. The existence of the band gaps will verified using the asymptotic analysis of elliptic operators.
We analyze a family of singular Schrödinger operators describing a Neumann waveguide with a periodic array of singular traps of a $δ'$ type. We show that in the limit when perpendicular size of the guide tends to zero and the $δ'$ interactions are appropriately scaled, the first spectral gap is determined exclusively by geometric properties of the traps.
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…
We study the spectral linear elasticity problem in an unbounded periodic waveguide, which consists of a sequence of identical bounded cells connected by thin ligaments of diameter of order $ h >0$. The essential spectrum of the problem is known to have band-gap structure. We derive asymptotic formulas for the position of the spectral bands and gaps, as $h \to 0$.
We consider the twisted waveguide $Ω_θ$, i.e. the domain obtained by the rotation of the bounded cross section $ω\subset {\mathbb R}^{2}$ of the straight tube $Ω: = ω\times {\mathbb R}$ at angle $θ$ which depends on the variable along the axis of $Ω$. We study the spectral properties of the Dirichlet Laplacian in $Ω_θ$, unitarily equivalent under the diffeomorphism $Ω_θ\to Ω$ to the operator $H_{θ'}$, self-adjoint in ${\rm L}^2(Ω)$. We assume that $θ' = β- ε$ where $β$ is a $2π$-periodic function, and $ε$ decays at infinity. Then in the spectrum $σ(H_β)$ of the unperturbed operator $H_β$ there…
We consider a parity-time ($\mathcal{PT}$-) symmetric waveguide consisting of a localized gain and loss elements separated by a variable distance. The situation is modelled by a Schrödiner operator with localized complex $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric potential. Properties of the latter Hamiltonian are considered subject to the change of the gain-to-loss distance. Resonances, spectral singularities and eigenvalues are analyzed in detail and discussed in the context of the associated laser-absorber modes and $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetry breaking phase transition. Increasing gain-to-loss distance creates n…
We study the low-lying spectrum of the Dirichlet Laplace operator on a randomly wiggled strip. More precisely, our results are formulated in terms of the eigenvalues of finite segment approximations of the infinite waveguide. Under appropriate weak-disorder assumptions we obtain deterministic and probabilistic bounds on the position of the lowest eigenvalue. A Combes-Thomas argument allows us to obtain so-called 'initial length scale decay estimates' at they are used in the proof of spectral localization using the multiscale analysis.
We examine the band-gap structure of the spectrum of the Neumann problem for the Laplace operator in a strip with periodic dense transversal perforation by identical holes of a small diameter $\varepsilon>0$. The periodicity cell itself contains a string of holes at a distance $O(\varepsilon)$ between them. Under assumptions on the symmetry of the holes, we derive and justify asymptotic formulas for the endpoints of the spectral bands in the low-frequency range of the spectrum as $\varepsilon \to 0$. We demonstrate that, for $\varepsilon$ small enough, some spectral gaps are open. The position…
We consider a twisted quantum wave guide, and are interested in the spectral analysis of the associated Dirichlet Laplacian H. We show that if the derivative of rotation angle decays slowly enough at infinity, then there is an infinite sequence of discrete eigenvalues lying below the infimum of the essential spectrum of H, and obtain the main asymptotic term of this sequence.