On the location of the essential spectra and regularity fields of complex Sturm—Liouville operators

Abstract

SynopsisIn this paper the Sturm-Liouville expression τy= −(py′)′ +qy, with complex-valued coefficients is considered, and a number of results concerning the location of the essential spectrum of associated operators are obtained. Some of these are extensions or generalizations of results due to Birman, and Glazman, whilst others are new. These lead to criteria for the non-emptiness of the regularity field of the corresponding minimal operator—a condition which is needed in the theory ofJ-selfadjoint extensions. A complete determination of the regularity field is made when the equation τy= λ0yhas two linearly independent solutions inL2[a,∞) for some complex λ0.