Search

We continue the study of the perturbation problem discussed in \cite{CP3} and get rid of the 'slow variation' assumption by considering symbols of the form $a\big(x+\delta\,F(x),\xi\big)$ with $a$ a real H\"{o}rmander symbol of class $S^0_{0,0}(\mathbb{R}^d\times\mathbb{R}^d)$ and $F$ a smooth function with all its derivatives globally bounded, with $|\delta|\leq1$. We prove that while the Hausdorff distance between the spectra of the Weyl quantization of the above symbols in a neighbourhood of $\delta=0$ is still of the order $\sqrt{|\delta|}$, the distance between their spectral edges behaves like $|\delta|^\nu$ with $\nu\in[1/2,1)$ depending on the rate of decay of the second derivatives of $F$ at infinity., Comment: 10 pages

We consider periodic (pseudo)differential {elliptic operators of Schr\"odinger type} perturbed by weak magnetic fields not vanishing at infinity, and extend our previous analysis in \cite{CIP,CHP-2,CHP-4} to the case {of a semimetal having a finite family of Bloch eigenvalues whose range may overlap with the other Bloch bands but remains isolated at each fixed quasi-momentum.} We do not make any assumption of triviality for the associated Bloch bundle. In this setting, we formulate a general form of the Peierls-Onsager substitution {via strongly localized tight-frames and magnetic matrices. We also} prove the existence of an approximate time evolution for initial states supported inside the range of the isolated Bloch family, with a precise error control., Comment: 59 pages, 2 figures

We consider a Dirac operator with constant magnetic field defined on a half-plane with boundary conditions that interpolate between infinite mass and zigzag. By a detailed study of the energy dispersion curves we show that the infinite mass case generically captures the profile of these curves, which undergoes a continuous pointwise deformation into the topologically different zigzag profile. Moreover, these results are applied to the bulk-edge correspondence. In particular, by means of a counterexample, we show that this correspondence does not always hold true in the zigzag case.

We provide sufficient conditions such that the time evolution of a mesoscopic tight-binding open system with a local Hartree-Fock non-linearity converges to a self-consistent non-equilibrium steady state, which is independent of the initial condition from the "small sample". We also show that the steady charge current intensities are given by Landauer-B\"uttiker-like formulas, and make the connection with the case of weakly self-interacting many-body systems., Comment: version published in Communications in Mathematical Physics

Let $a(x,\xi)$ be a real H\"ormander symbol of the type $S_{0,0}^0(\mathbb{R}^{d}\times \mathbb{R}^d)$, let $F$ be a smooth function with all its derivatives globally bounded, and let $K_\delta$ be the self-adjoint Weyl quantization of the perturbed symbols $a(x+F(\delta\, x),\xi)$, where $|\delta|\leq 1$. First, we prove that the Hausdorff distance between the spectra of $K_\delta$ and $K_{0}$ is bounded by $\sqrt{|\delta|}$, and we give examples where spectral gaps of this magnitude can open when $\delta\neq 0$. Second, we show that the distance between the spectral edges of $K_\delta$ and $K_0$ (and also the edges of the inner spectral gaps, as long as they remain open at $\delta=0$) are of order $|\delta|$, and give a precise dependence on the width of the spectral gaps., Comment: 16 pages, to appear in Journal of Spectral Theory

In this paper we use some ideas from \cite{FG-97, G-06} and consider the description of H\"{o}rmander type pseudo-differential operators on $\mathbb{R}^d$ ($d\geq1$), including the case of the magnetic pseudo-differential operators introduced in \cite{IMP-1, IMP-19}, with respect to a tight Gabor frame. We show that all these operators can be identified with some infinitely dimensional matrices whose elements are strongly localized near the diagonal. Using this matrix representation, one can give short and elegant proofs to classical results like the Calder{\'o}n-Vaillancourt theorem and Beals' commutator criterion, and also establish local trace-class criteria., Comment: 17 pages, accepted for publication in Journal of Fourier Analysis and Applications

We revisit the problem of constructing one-dimensional acoustic black holes. Instead of considering the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, we use Timoshenko's approach instead, which is known to be more realistic at higher frequencies. Our goal is to minimize the reflection coefficient under a constraint imposed on the normalized wave number variation. We use the calculus of variations in order to derive the corresponding Euler-Lagrange equation analytically and then use numerical methods to solve this equation in order to find the optimal height profile for different frequencies. We then compare these profiles to the corresponding ones previously found using the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and see that in the lower range of the dimensionless frequency $\Omega$ (defined using the largest height of the plate), the optimal profiles almost coincide, as expected. For higher such frequencies, even for values where Euler-Bernoulli theory should still be marginally valid, the profiles predicted using Euler-Bernoulli differ substantially from the correct ones predicted by Timoshenko theory. One explanation for this phenomenon is that unlike in the constant height case, in our setting the wave numbers also depend on the ratio between the smallest and the largest heights., Comment: 12 pages and 8 figures

We consider two-dimensional unbounded magnetic Dirac operators, either defined on the whole plane, or with infinite mass boundary conditions on a half-plane. Our main results use techniques from elliptic PDEs and integral operators, while their topological consequences are presented as corollaries of some more general identities involving magnetic derivatives of local traces of fast decaying functions of the bulk and edge operators. One of these corollaries leads to the so-called St\v{r}eda formula: if the bulk operator has an isolated compact spectral island, then the integrated density of states of the corresponding bulk spectral projection varies linearly with the magnetic field as long as the gaps between the spectral island and the rest of the spectrum are not closed, and the slope of this variation is given by the Chern character of the projection. The same bulk Chern character is related to the number of edge states which appear in the gaps of the bulk operator., Comment: Final version, 25 pages, appeared in JMP

We consider continuous Dirac operators defined on $\mathbf{R}^d$, $d\in\{1,2,3\}$, together with various discrete versions of them. Both forward-backward and symmetric finite differences are used as approximations to partial derivatives. We also allow a bounded, H\"older continuous, and self-adjoint matrix-valued potential, which in the discrete setting is evaluated on the mesh. Our main goal is to investigate whether the proposed discrete models converge in norm resolvent sense to their continuous counterparts, as the mesh size tends to zero and up to a natural embedding of the discrete space into the continuous one. In dimension one we show that forward-backward differences lead to norm resolvent convergence, while in dimension two and three they do not. The same negative result holds in all dimensions when symmetric differences are used. On the other hand, strong resolvent convergence holds in all these cases. Nevertheless, and quite remarkably, a rather simple but non-standard modification to the discrete models, involving the mass term, ensures norm resolvent convergence in general.

This is the last paper in a series of three in which we have studied the Peierls substitution in the case of a weak magnetic field. Here we deal with two $2d$ Bloch eigenvalues which have a conical crossing. It turns out that in the presence of an almost constant weak magnetic field, the spectrum near the crossing develops gaps which remind of the Landau levels of an effective mass-less magnetic Dirac operator., Comment: 51 pages, 2 figures. Will appear in Trans. A.M.S

In this paper we study random perturbations of first order elliptic operators with periodic potentials. We are mostly interested in Hamiltonians modeling graphene antidot lattices with impurities. The unperturbed operator $H_0 := D_S + V_0$ is the sum of a Dirac-like operator $D_S$ plus a periodic matrix valued potential $V_0$, and is assumed to have an open gap. The random potential $V_\omega$ is of Anderson-type with independent, identically distributed coupling constants and moving centers, with absolutely continuous probability distributions. We prove band edge localization, namely that there exists an interval of energies in the unperturbed gap where the almost sure spectrum of the family $H_\omega := H_0 + V_\omega$ is dense pure point, with exponentially decaying eigenfunctions, that give rise to dynamical localization.

It is well known that, given a $2d$ purely magnetic Landau Hamiltonian with a constant magnetic field $b$ which generates a magnetic flux $\varphi$ per unit area, then any spectral island $\sigma_b$ consisting of $M$ infinitely degenerate Landau levels carries an integrated density of states $\mathcal{I}_b=M \varphi$. Wannier later discovered a similar Diophantine relation expressing the integrated density of states of a gapped group of bands of the Hofstadter Hamiltonian as a linear function of the magnetic field flux with integer slope. We extend this result to a gap labelling theorem for any $2d$ Bloch-Landau operator $H_b$ which also has a bounded $\mathbb{Z}^2$-periodic electric potential. Assume that $H_b$ has a spectral island $\sigma_b$ which remains isolated from the rest of the spectrum as long as $\varphi$ lies in a compact interval $[\varphi_1,\varphi_2]$. Then $\mathcal{I}_b=c_0+c_1\varphi$ on such intervals, where the constant $c_0\in \mathbb{Q}$ while $c_1\in \mathbb{Z}$. The integer $c_1$ is the Chern marker of the spectral projection onto the spectral island $\sigma_b$. This result also implies that the Fermi projection on $\sigma_b$, albeit continuous in $b$ in the strong topology, is nowhere continuous in the norm topology if either $c_1\ne0$ or $c_1=0$ and $\varphi$ is rational. Our proofs, otherwise elementary, do not use non-commutative geometry but are based on gauge covariant magnetic perturbation theory which we briefly review for the sake of the reader. Moreover, our method allows us to extend the analysis to certain non-covariant systems having slowly varying magnetic fields., Comment: 20 pages, no figures. Appendix C added. Final version accepted for publication in Journal of the European Mathematical Society

Consider a Dirac operator defined on the whole plane with a mass term of size m supported outside a domain Omega. We give a simple proof for the norm resolvent convergence, as m goes to infinity, of this operator to a Dirac operator defined on Omega with infinite mass boundary conditions. The result is valid for bounded and unbounded domains and gives estimates on the speed of convergence. Moreover, the method easily extends when adding external matrix-valued potentials.

First, we reconsider the magnetic pseudodifferential calculus and show that for a large class of non-decaying symbols, their corresponding magnetic pseudodifferential operators can be represented, up to a global gauge transform, as generalized Hofstadter-like, bounded matrices. As a by-product, we prove a Calder\'on-Vaillancourt type result. Second, we make use of this matrix representation and prove sharp results on the spectrum location when the magnetic field strength $b$ varies. Namely, when the operators are self-adjoint, we show that their spectrum (as a set) is at least $1/2$-H\"{o}lder continuous with respect to $b$ in the Hausdorff distance. Third, when the magnetic perturbation comes from a constant magnetic field we show that their spectral edges are Lipschitz continuous in $b$. The same Lipschitz continuity holds true for spectral gap edges as long as the gaps do not close., Comment: 20 pages

We study the resolvent norm of a certain class of closed linear operators on a Hilbert space, including unbounded operators with compact resolvent. It is shown that for any point in the resolvent set there exist directions in which the norm grows at least quadratically with the distance from this point. This provides a new proof not using the maximum principle that the resolvent norm of the considered class cannot have local maxima. Finally, we give new criteria for the existence of local non-degenerate minima of the resolvent norm and provide examples of (un)bounded non-normal operators having this property., Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures

First, we give a new proof for the Beals commutator criterion for non-magnetic Weyl pseudo-differential operators based on classical Gabor tight frames. Second, by introducing a modified 'magnetic' Gabor tight frame, we naturally derive the magnetic analogue of the Beals criterion originally considered by Iftimie-M\u{a}ntoiu-Purice., Comment: 8 pages, to appear in Commun. P.D.E

We study the threshold behaviour of two dimensional Schr{\" o}dinger operators with finitely many local point interactions. We show that the resolvent can either be continuously extended up to the threshold, in which case we say that the operator is of regular type, or it has singularities associated with $s$ or p-wave resonances or even with an embedded eigenvalue at zero, for whose existence we give necessary and sufficient conditions. An embedded eigenvalue at zero may appear only if we have at least three centres. When the operator is of regular type we prove that the wave operators are bounded in $L^p(\R^2)$ for all $1

We consider a $2d$ magnetic Schr\"odinger operator perturbed by a weak magnetic field which slowly varies around a positive mean. In a previous paper we proved the appearance of a `Landau type' structure of spectral islands at the bottom of the spectrum, under the hypothesis that the lowest Bloch eigenvalue of the unperturbed operator remained simple on the whole Brillouin zone, even though its range may overlap with the range of the second eigenvalue. We also assumed that the first Bloch spectral projection was smooth and had a zero Chern number. In this paper we extend our previous results to the only two remaining possibilities: either the first Bloch eigenvalue remains isolated while its corresponding spectral projection has a non-zero Chern number, or the first two Bloch eigenvalues cross each other., Comment: 27 pages

Motivated by the analysis of gapped periodic quantum systems in presence of a uniform magnetic field in dimension $d \le 3$, we study the possibility to construct spanning sets of exponentially localized (generalized) Wannier functions for the space of occupied states. When the magnetic flux per unit cell satisfies a certain rationality condition, by going to the momentum-space description one can model $m$ occupied energy bands by a real-analytic and $\mathbb Z^{d}$-periodic family $\{P({\bf k})\}_{{\bf k} \in \mathbb R^{d}}$ of orthogonal projections of rank $m$. A moving orthonormal basis of $\mathrm{Ran} P({\bf k})$ consisting of real-analytic and $\mathbb Z^d$-periodic Bloch vectors can be constructed if and only if the first Chern number(s) of $P$ vanish(es). Here we are mainly interested in the topologically obstructed case. First, by dropping the generating condition, we show how to algorithmically construct a collection of $m-1$ orthonormal, real-analytic, and periodic Bloch vectors. Second, by dropping the linear independence condition, we construct a Parseval frame of $m+1$ real-analytic and periodic Bloch vectors which generate $\mathrm{Ran} P({\bf k})$. Both algorithms are based on a two-step logarithm method which produces a moving orthonormal basis in the topologically trivial case. A moving Parseval frame of analytic, periodic Bloch vectors corresponds to a Parseval frame of exponentially localized composite Wannier functions. We extend this construction to the case of magnetic Hamiltonians with an irrational magnetic flux per unit cell and show how to produce Parseval frames of exponentially localized generalized Wannier functions also in this setting. Our results are illustrated in crystalline insulators modelled by $2d$ discrete Hofstadter-like Hamiltonians, but apply to certain continuous models of magnetic Schr\"{o}dinger operators as well., Comment: 40 pages. Improved exposition and minor corrections. Final version matches published paper on Commun. Math. Phys

We investigate the possibility of constructing exponentially localized composite Wannier bases, or equivalently smooth periodic Bloch frames, for 3-dimensional time-reversal symmetric topological insulators, both of bosonic and of fermionic type, so that the bases in question are also compatible with time-reversal symmetry. This problem is translated in the study, of independent interest, of homotopy classes of continuous, periodic, and time-reversal symmetric families of unitary matrices. We identify three $\mathbb{Z}_2$-valued complete invariants for these homotopy classes. When these invariants vanish, we provide an algorithm which constructs a "multi-step" logarithm that is employed to continuously deform the given family into a constant one, identically equal to the identity matrix. This algorithm leads to a constructive procedure to produce the composite Wannier bases mentioned above., Comment: 29 pages. Version 2: minor corrections of misprints, corrected proofs of Theorems 2.4 and 2.9, added references. Accepted for publication in Annales Henri Poicar\'e

We consider a three-body one-dimensional Schr\"odinger operator with zero range potentials, which models a positive impurity with charge $\kappa > 0$ interacting with an exciton. We study the existence of discrete eigenvalues as $\kappa$ is varied. On one hand, we show that for sufficiently small $\kappa$ there exists a unique bound state whose binding energy behaves like $\kappa^4$, and we explicitly compute its leading coefficient. On the other hand, if $\kappa$ is larger than some critical value then the system has no bound states.

We consider a reduced two-channel model of an atom consisting of a quantum dot coupled to an open scattering channel described by a three-dimensional Laplacian. We are interested in the survival probability of a bound state when the dot energy varies smoothly and adiabatically in time. The initial state corresponds to a discrete eigenvalue which dives into the continuous spectrum and re-emerges from it as the dot energy is varied in time and finally returns to its initial value. Our main result is that for a large class of couplings, the survival probability of this bound state vanishes in the adiabatic limit. At the end of the paper we present a short outlook on how our method may be extended to cover other classes of Hamiltonians; details will be given elsewhere., Comment: 22 pages, 1 figure

We consider a periodic Schr\"odinger operator in two dimensions perturbed by a weak magnetic field whose intensity slowly varies around a positive mean. We show in great generality that the bottom of the spectrum of the corresponding magnetic Schr\"odinger operator develops spectral islands separated by gaps, reminding of a Landau-level structure. First, we construct an effective Hofstadter-like magnetic matrix which accurately describes the low lying spectrum of the full operator. The construction of this effective magnetic matrix does not require a gap in the spectrum of the non-magnetic operator, only that the first and the second Bloch eigenvalues do not cross but their ranges might overlap. The crossing case is more difficult and will be considered elsewhere. Second, we perform a detailed spectral analysis of the effective matrix using a gauge-covariant magnetic pseudo-differential calculus adapted to slowly varying magnetic fields. As an application, we prove in the overlapping case the appearance of spectral islands separated by gaps., Comment: 55 pages, to appear in J. Funct. Anal

We provide a constructive proof of exponentially localized Wannier functions and related Bloch frames in 1- and 2-dimensional time-reversal symmetric (TRS) topological insulators. The construction is formulated in terms of periodic TRS families of projectors (corresponding, in applications, to the eigenprojectors on an arbitrary number of relevant energy bands), and is thus model-independent. The possibility to enforce also a TRS constraint on the frame is investigated. This leads to a topological obstruction in dimension 2, related to $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topological phases. We review several proposals for $\mathbb{Z}_2$ indices that distinguish these topological phases, including the ones by Fu--Kane [Phys. Rev. B 74 (2006), 195312], Prodan [Phys. Rev. B 83 (2011), 235115], Graf--Porta [Commun. Math. Phys. 324 (2013), 851] and Fiorenza--Monaco--Panati [Commun. Math. Phys., in press]. We show that all these formulations are equivalent. In particular, this allows to prove a geometric formula for the the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ invariant of 2-dimensional TRS topological insulators, originally indicated in [Phys. Rev. B 74 (2006), 195312], which expresses it in terms of the Berry connection and the Berry curvature., Comment: 54 pages, 5 figures. Minor changes with respect to v1, including an updated bibliography. This version is published in Rev. Math. Phys

We revisit the celebrated Peierls-Onsager substitution employing the magnetic pseudo-differential calculus for weak magnetic fields with no spatial decay conditions, when the non-magnetic symbols have a certain spatial periodicity. We show in great generality that the symbol of the magnetic band Hamiltonian admits a convergent expansion. Moreover, if the non-magnetic band Hamiltonian admits a localized composite Wannier basis, we show that the magnetic band Hamiltonian is unitarily equivalent to a Hofstadter-like magnetic matrix. In addition, if the magnetic field perturbation is slowly variable, then the spectrum of this matrix is close to the spectrum of a Weyl quantized, minimally coupled symbol.

We give a constructive proof for the existence of an $N$-dimensional Bloch basis which is both smooth (real analytic) and periodic with respect to its $d$-dimensional quasi-momenta, when $1\leq d\leq 2$ and $N\geq 1$. The constructed Bloch basis is conjugation symmetric when the underlying projection has this symmetry, hence the corresponding exponentially localized composite Wannier functions are real. In the second part of the paper we show that by adding a weak, globally bounded but not necessarily constant magnetic field, the existence of a localized basis is preserved., Comment: 32 pages, to appear in Annales Henri Poincare

We analyse the spectral edge regularity of a large class of magnetic Hamiltonians when the perturbation is generated by a globally bounded magnetic field. We can prove Lipschitz regularity of spectral edges if the magnetic field perturbation is either constant or slowly variable. We also recover an older result by G. Nenciu who proved Lipschitz regularity up to a logarithmic factor for general globally bounded magnetic field perturbations., Comment: 18 pages, submitted

Resonances appearing by perturbation of embedded non-degenerate eigenvalues are studied in the case when the Fermi Golden Rule constant vanishes. Under appropriate smoothness properties for the resolvent of the unperturbed Hamiltonian, it is proved that the first order Rayleigh-Schr\"odinger expansion exists. The corresponding metastable states are constructed using this truncated expansion. We show that their exponential decay law has both the decay rate and the error term of order $\varepsilon^4$, where $\varepsilon$ is the perturbation strength., Comment: To appear in Commun. Math. Phys

We address the existence of steady state Green-Keldysh correlation functions of interacting fermions in mesoscopic systems for both the partitioning and partition-free scenarios. Under some spectral assumptions on the non-interacting model and for sufficiently small interaction strength, we show that the system evolves to a NESS which does not depend on the profile of the time-dependent coupling strength/bias. For the partitioned setting we also show that the steady state is independent of the initial state of the inner sample. Closed formulae for the NESS two-point correlation functions (Green-Keldysh functions), in the form of a convergent expansion, are derived. In the partitioning approach, we show that the 0th order term in the interaction strength of the charge current leads to the Landauer-Buettiker formula, while the 1st order correction contains the mean-field (Hartree-Fock) results.

We extend the Landauer-B\"uttiker formalism in order to accommodate both unitary and self-adjoint operators which are not bounded from below. We also prove that the pure point and singular continuous subspaces of the decoupled Hamiltonian do not contribute to the steady current. One of the physical applications is a stationary charge current formula for a system with four pseudo-relativistic semi-infinite leads and with an inner sample which is described by a Schr\"odinger operator defined on a bounded interval with dissipative boundary conditions. Another application is a current formula for electrons described by a one dimensional Dirac operator; here the system consists of two semi-infinite leads coupled through a point interaction at zero., Comment: 2 fugures

We present a perturbative method for calculating the optical Hall conductivity in a tight-binding framework based on the Kubo formalism. The method involves diagonalization only of the Hamiltonian in absence of the magnetic field, and thus avoids the computational problems usually arising due to the huge magnetic unit cells required to maintain translational invariance in presence of a Peierls phase. A recipe for applying the method to numerical calculations of the magneto-optical response is presented. We apply the formalism to the case of ordinary and gapped graphene in a next-nearest neighbour tight-binding model as well as graphene antidot lattices. In both case, we find unique signatures in the Hall response, that are not captured in continuum (Dirac) approximations. These include a non-zero optical Hall conductivity even when the chemical potential is at the Dirac point energy. Numerical results suggest that this effect should be measurable in experiments., Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted in Physical Review B

Consider a quantum dot coupled to two semi-infinite one-dimensional leads at thermal equilibrium. We turn on adiabatically a bias between the leads such that there exists exactly one discrete eigenvalue both at the beginning and at the end of the switching procedure. It is shown that the expectation on the final bound state strongly depends on the history of the switching procedure. On the contrary, the contribution to the final steady-state corresponding to the continuous spectrum has no memory, and only depends on the initial and final values of the bias., Comment: 17 pages, submitted

We study the regularity properties of the Hausdorff distance between spectra of continuous Harper-like operators. As a special case we obtain H\"{o}lder continuity of this Hausdorff distance with respect to the intensity of the magnetic field for a large class of magnetic elliptic (pseudo)differential operators with long range magnetic fields., Comment: to appear in the Proceedings of the 'Spectral Days' conference, Santiago de Chile 2010

This is the second paper of the authors in a series concerned with the development of a deterministic model for the transfer matrix of a MIMO system. Starting from the Maxwell equations, we have described in \cite{BCFM} the generic structure of such a deterministic transfer matrix. In the current paper we apply the results of \cite{BCFM} in order to study the (Shannon-Foschini) capacity behavior of a MIMO system as a function of the deterministic spread function of the environment, and the number of transmitting and receiving antennas. The antennas are assumed to fill in a given, fixed volume. Under some generic assumptions, we prove that the capacity grows much more slowly than linearly with the number of antennas. These results reinforce previous heuristic results obtained from statistical models of the transfer matrix, which also predict a sublinear behavior., Comment: 12 pages, to appear in Math. Meth. Appl. Sci

We present a rigorous and rather self-contained analysis of the Verdet constant in graphene- like materials. We apply the gauge-invariant magnetic perturbation theory to a nearest- neighbour tight-binding model and obtain a relatively simple and exactly computable formula for the Verdet constant, at all temperatures and all frequencies of sufficiently large absolute value. Moreover, for the standard nearest neighbour tight-binding model of graphene we show that the transverse component of the conductivity tensor has an asymptotic Taylor expansion in the external magnetic field where all the coefficients of even powers are zero., Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures, revised version

In this paper we prove a two-term asymptotic formula for for the spectral counting function for a 2D magnetic Schr\"odinger operator on a domain (with Dirichlet boundary conditions) in a semiclassical limit and with strong magnetic field. By scaling, this is equivalent to a thermodynamic limit of a 2D Fermi gas submitted to a constant external magnetic field. The original motivation comes from a paper by H. Kunz in which he studied, among other things, the boundary correction for the grand-canonical pressure and density of such a Fermi gas. Our main theorem yields a rigorous proof of the formulas announced by Kunz. Moreover, the same theorem provides several other results on the integrated density of states for operators of the type $(-ih\nabla- \mu {\bf A})^2$ in $L^2({\Omega})$ with Dirichlet boundary conditions.

Under certain conditions we prove the existence of a steady-state transport regime for interacting mesoscopic systems coupled to reservoirs (leads). The partitioning and partition-free scenarios are treated on an equal footing. Our time-dependent scattering approach is {\it exact} and proves, among other things the independence of the steady-state quantities from the initial state of the sample. Closed formulas for the steady-state current amenable for perturbative calculations w.r.t. the interaction strength are also derived. In the partitioning case we calculate the first order correction and recover the mean-field (Hartree-Fock) results., Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. B

Consider a bunch of interacting electrons confined in a quantum dot. The later is suddenly coupled to semi-infinite biased leads at an initial instant $t=0$. We identify the dominant contribution to the ergodic current in the off-resonant transport regime, in which the discrete spectrum of the quantum dot is well separated from the absolutely continuous spectrum of the leads. Our approach allows for arbitrary strength of the electron-electron interaction while the current is expanded in even powers of the (weak) lead-dot hopping constant $\tau$. We provide explicit calculations for sequential tunneling and cotunneling contributions to the current. In the interacting case it turns out that the cotunneling current depends on the initial many-body configuration of the sample, while in the non-interacting case it does not, and coincides with the first term in the expansion of the Landauer formula w.r.t $\tau$., Comment: To appear in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical

We develop a deterministic ab-initio model for the input-output relationship of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless channel, starting from the Maxwell equations combined with Ohm's Law. The main technical tools are scattering and geometric perturbation theories. The derived relationship can lead us to a deep understanding of how the propagation conditions and the coupling effects between the elements of multiple-element arrays affect the properties of a MIMO channel, e.g. its capacity and its number of degrees of freedom., Comment: Accepted for publication in Mathematical Methods in the Applied Sciences

We present a rigorous mathematical treatment of the zero-field orbital magnetic susceptibility of a non-interacting Bloch electron gas, at fixed temperature and density, for both metals and semiconductors/insulators. In particular, we obtain the Landau-Peierls formula in the low temperature and density limit as conjectured by T. Kjeldaas and W. Kohn in 1957., Comment: 30 pages - Accepted for publication in A.H.P

Consider a small sample coupled to a finite number of leads, and assume that the total (continuous) system is at thermal equilibrium in the remote past. We construct a non-equilibrium steady state (NESS) by adiabatically turning on an electrical bias between the leads. The main mathematical challenge is to show that certain adiabatic wave operators exist, and to identify their strong limit when the adiabatic parameter tends to zero. Our NESS is different from, though closely related with the NESS provided by the Jak{\v s}i{\'c}-Pillet-Ruelle approach. Thus we partly settle a question asked by Caroli {\it et al} in 1971 regarding the (non)equivalence between the partitioned and partition-free approaches.

We study the binding energies of singlet trions, i.e. charged excitons, in carbon nanotubes. The problem is modeled, through the effective-mass model, as a three-particle complex on the surface of a cylinder, which we investigate using both one- and two-dimensional expansions of the wave function. The effects of dimensionality and correlation are studied in detail. We find that the Hartree-Fock approximation significantly underestimates the trion binding energy. Combined with band structures calculated using a non-orthogonal nearest neighbour tight binding model, the results from the cylinder model are used to compute physical binding energies for a wide selection of carbon nanotubes. In addition, the dependence on dielectric screening is examined. Our findings indicate that trions are detectable at room temperature in carbon nanotubes with radius below 8{\AA}.

We construct a non-equilibrium steady state and calculate the corresponding current for a mesoscopic Fermi system in the partition-free setting. To this end we study a small sample coupled to a finite number of semi-infinite leads. Initially, the whole system of quasi-free fermions is in a grand canonical equilibrium state. At t = 0 we turn on a potential bias on the leads and let the system evolve. We study how the charge current behaves in time and how it stabilizes itself around a steady state value, which is given by a Landauer-type formula., Comment: 14 pages, submitted

We consider a gas of quasi-free quantum particles confined to a finite box, subjected to singular magnetic and electric fields. We prove in great generality that the finite volume grand-canonical pressure is jointly analytic in the chemical potential ant the intensity of the external magnetic field. We also discuss the thermodynamic limit.

This is the third paper of a series revisiting the Faraday effect. The question of the absolute convergence of the sums over the band indices entering the Verdet constant is considered. In general, sum rules and traces per unit volume play an important role in solid state physics, and they give rise to certain convergence problems widely ignored by physicists. We give a complete answer in the case of smooth potentials and formulate an open problem related to less regular perturbations., Comment: Dedicated to the memory of our late friend Pierre Duclos. Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical.

We show for a large class of discrete Harper-like and continuous magnetic Schrodinger operators that their band edges are Lipschitz continuous with respect to the intensity of the external constant magnetic field. We generalize a result obtained by J. Bellissard in 1994, and give examples in favor of a recent conjecture of G. Nenciu., Comment: 15 pages, accepted for publication in Annales Henri Poincare

In the spectral analysis of few one dimensional quantum particles interacting through delta potentials it is well known that one can recast the problem into the spectral analysis of an integral operator (the skeleton) living on the submanifold which supports the delta interactions. We shall present several tools which allow direct insight into the spectral structure of this skeleton. We shall illustrate the method on a model of a two dimensional quantum particle interacting with two infinitely long straight wires which cross one another at a certain angle : the quantum scissor., Comment: Submitted