Diophantine approximation and the solubility of the Schroedinger equation

On resonances and the formation of gaps in the spectrum of quasi-periodic Schroedinger equations

We consider one-dimensional difference Schroedinger equations on the discrete line with a potential generated by evaluating a real-analytic potential function V(x) on the one-dimensional torus along an orbit of the shift x-->x+nw. If the Lyapunov exponent is positive for all energies and w, then the integrated density of states is absolutely continuous for almost every w. In this work we establish the formation of a dense set of gaps in the spectrum. Our approach is based on an induction on scales argument, and is therefore both constructive as well as quantitative. Resonances between eigenfun…