Microlocal Analysis For Differential Operators

This book corresponds to a graduate course given many times by the authors, and should prove to be useful to mathematicians and theoretical physicists.

This book corresponds to a graduate course given many times by the authors, and should prove to be useful to mathematicians and theoretical physicists.

The problem of spectral asymptotics, in particular the problem of the asymptotic dis tribution of eigenvalues, is one of the central problems in the spectral theory of partial differential operators; moreover, it is very important for the general theory of partial differential operators. I started working in this domain in 1979 after R. Seeley found a remainder estimate of the same order as the then hypothetical second term for the Laplacian in domains with boundary, and M. Shubin and B. M. Levitan suggested that I should try to prove Weyl's conjecture. During the past fifteen years I have not left the topic, although I had such intentions in 1985 when the methods I invented seemed to fai! to provide furt her progress and only a couple of not very exciting problems remained to be solved. However, at that time I made the step toward local semiclassical spectral asymptotics and rescaling, and new horizons opened.

The NATO Advanced Study Institute "Microlocal Analysis and Spectral The ory" was held in Tuscany (Italy) at Castelvecchio Pascoli, in the district of Lucca, hosted by the international vacation center "11 Ciocco" , from September 23 to October 3, 1996. The Institute recorded the considerable progress realized recently in the field of Microlocal Analysis. In a broad sense, Microlocal Analysis is the modern version of the classical Fourier technique in solving partial differential equa tions, where now the localization proceeding takes place with respect to the dual variables too. Precisely, through the tools of pseudo-differential operators, wave-front sets and Fourier integral operators, the general theory of the lin ear partial differential equations is now reaching a mature form, in the frame of Schwartz distributions or other generalized functions. At the same time, Microlocal Analysis has grown up into a definite and independent part of Math ematical Analysis, with other applications all around Mathematics and Physics, one major theme being Spectral Theory for Schrodinger equation in Quantum Mechanics.

Based on a seminar sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Study in 1977-1978, this set of papers introduces micro-local analysis concisely and clearly to mathematicians with an analytical background. The papers treat the theory of microfunctions and applications such as boundary values of elliptic partial differential equations, propagation of singularities in the vicinity of degenerate characteristics, holonomic systems, Feynman integrals from the hyperfunction point of view, and harmonic analysis on Lie groups.

Microlocal analysis is a field of mathematics that was invented in the mid-20th century for the detailed investigation of problems from partial differential equations, which incorporated and made rigorous many ideas that originated in physics. Since then it has grown to a powerful machine which is used in global analysis, spectral theory, mathematical physics and other fields, and its further development is a lively area of current mathematical research. In this book extended abstracts of the conference 'Microlocal Methods in Mathematical Physics and Global Analysis', which was held at the University of Tübingen from the 14th to the 18th of June 2011, are collected.​

"Provides a thorough introduction to the algebraic theory of systems of differential equations, as developed by the Japanese school of M. Sato and his colleagues. Features a complete review of hyperfunction-microfunction theory and the theory of D-modules. Strikes the perfect balance between analytic and algebraic aspects."