In mathematics, a partition of unity of a topological space is a set of continuous functions from to the unit interval [0,1] such that for every point :
In mathematics, particularly linear algebra and functional analysis, a spectral theorem is a result about when a linear operator or matrix can be diagonalized. This is extremely useful because computations involving a diagonalizable matrix can often be reduced to much simpler computations involving the corresponding diagonal matrix. The concept of diagonalization is relatively straightforward for operators on finite-dimensional vector spaces but requires some modification for operators on infinite-dimensional spaces. In general, the spectral theorem identifies a class of linear operators that can be modeled by multiplication operators, which are as simple as one can hope to find. In more abstract language, the spectral theorem is a statement about commutative C*-algebras. See also spectral theory for a historical perspective.
In mathematics, a self-adjoint operator on an infinite-dimensional complex vector space V with inner product is a linear map A that is its own adjoint. If V is finite-dimensional with a given orthonormal basis, this is equivalent to the condition that the matrix of A is a Hermitian matrix, i.e., equal to its conjugate transpose A∗. By the finite-dimensional spectral theorem, V has an orthonormal basis such that the matrix of A relative to this basis is a diagonal matrix with entries in the real numbers. This article deals with applying generalizations of this concept to operators on Hilbert spaces of arbitrary dimension.
In mathematics, particularly in functional analysis, the spectrum of a bounded linear operator is a generalisation of the set of eigenvalues of a matrix. Specifically, a complex number is said to be in the spectrum of a bounded linear operator if
In mathematics, the spectral radius of a square matrix is the maximum of the absolute values of its eigenvalues. More generally, the spectral radius of a bounded linear operator is the supremum of the absolute values of the elements of its spectrum. The spectral radius is often denoted by ρ(·).
In mathematics as well as physics, a linear operator acting on an inner product space is called positive-semidefinite if, for every , and , where is the domain of . Positive-semidefinite operators are denoted as . The operator is said to be positive-definite, and written , if for all .
In mathematics, spectral theory is an inclusive term for theories extending the eigenvector and eigenvalue theory of a single square matrix to a much broader theory of the structure of operators in a variety of mathematical spaces. It is a result of studies of linear algebra and the solutions of systems of linear equations and their generalizations. The theory is connected to that of analytic functions because the spectral properties of an operator are related to analytic functions of the spectral parameter.
A bound state is a composite of two or more fundamental building blocks, such as particles, atoms, or bodies, that behaves as a single object and in which energy is required to split them.
The spectrum of a linear operator that operates on a Banach space is a fundamental concept of functional analysis. The spectrum consists of all scalars such that the operator does not have a bounded inverse on . The spectrum has a standard decomposition into three parts:
In mathematics, the essential spectrum of a bounded operator is a certain subset of its spectrum, defined by a condition of the type that says, roughly speaking, "fails badly to be invertible".
In mathematics, a C0-semigroup, also known as a strongly continuous one-parameter semigroup, is a generalization of the exponential function. Just as exponential functions provide solutions of scalar linear constant coefficient ordinary differential equations, strongly continuous semigroups provide solutions of linear constant coefficient ordinary differential equations in Banach spaces. Such differential equations in Banach spaces arise from e.g. delay differential equations and partial differential equations.
In mathematics, the Fredholm alternative, named after Ivar Fredholm, is one of Fredholm's theorems and is a result in Fredholm theory. It may be expressed in several ways, as a theorem of linear algebra, a theorem of integral equations, or as a theorem on Fredholm operators. Part of the result states that a non-zero complex number in the spectrum of a compact operator is an eigenvalue.
In mathematics, the resolvent formalism is a technique for applying concepts from complex analysis to the study of the spectrum of operators on Banach spaces and more general spaces. Formal justification for the manipulations can be found in the framework of holomorphic functional calculus.
In mathematics, an analytic semigroup is particular kind of strongly continuous semigroup. Analytic semigroups are used in the solution of partial differential equations; compared to strongly continuous semigroups, analytic semigroups provide better regularity of solutions to initial value problems, better results concerning perturbations of the infinitesimal generator, and a relationship between the type of the semigroup and the spectrum of the infinitesimal generator.
In mathematics, the spectral theory of ordinary differential equations is the part of spectral theory concerned with the determination of the spectrum and eigenfunction expansion associated with a linear ordinary differential equation. In his dissertation, Hermann Weyl generalized the classical Sturm–Liouville theory on a finite closed interval to second order differential operators with singularities at the endpoints of the interval, possibly semi-infinite or infinite. Unlike the classical case, the spectrum may no longer consist of just a countable set of eigenvalues, but may also contain a continuous part. In this case the eigenfunction expansion involves an integral over the continuous part with respect to a spectral measure, given by the Titchmarsh–Kodaira formula. The theory was put in its final simplified form for singular differential equations of even degree by Kodaira and others, using von Neumann's spectral theorem. It has had important applications in quantum mechanics, operator theory and harmonic analysis on semisimple Lie groups.
In mathematics, the limiting absorption principle (LAP) is a concept from operator theory and scattering theory that consists of choosing the "correct" resolvent of a linear operator at the essential spectrum based on the behavior of the resolvent near the essential spectrum. The term is often used to indicate that the resolvent, when considered not in the original space (which is usually the space), but in certain weighted spaces (usually , see below), has a limit as the spectral parameter approaches the essential spectrum. This concept developed from the idea of introducing complex parameter into the Helmholtz equation for selecting a particular solution. This idea is credited to Vladimir Ignatowski, who was considering the propagation and absorption of the electromagnetic waves in a wire. It is closely related to the Sommerfeld radiation condition and the limiting amplitude principle (1948). The terminology – both the limiting absorption principle and the limiting amplitude principle – was introduced by Aleksei Sveshnikov.
In mathematics, specifically in spectral theory, an eigenvalue of a closed linear operator is called normal if the space admits a decomposition into a direct sum of a finite-dimensional generalized eigenspace and an invariant subspace where has a bounded inverse. The set of normal eigenvalues coincides with the discrete spectrum.
In mathematics, or more specifically in spectral theory, the Riesz projector is the projector onto the eigenspace corresponding to a particular eigenvalue of an operator. It was introduced by Frigyes Riesz in 1912.
In mathematics, specifically in spectral theory, a discrete spectrum of a closed linear operator is defined as the set of isolated points of its spectrum such that the rank of the corresponding Riesz projector is finite.
This is a glossary for the terminology in a mathematical field of functional analysis.
