Sufficient conditions for two-dimensional localization by arbitrarily weak defects in periodic potentials with band gaps

We prove, via an elementary variational method, 1d and 2d localization within the band gaps of a periodic Schrodinger operator for any mostly negative or mostly positive defect potential, V, whose depth is not too great compared to the size of the gap. In a similar way, we also prove sufficient conditions for 1d and 2d localization below the ground state of such an operator. Furthermore, we extend our results to 1d and 2d localization in d dimensions; for example, a linear or planar defect in a 3d crystal. For the case of D-fold degenerate band edges, we also give sufficient conditions for localization of up to D states.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Peierls substitution for magnetic Bloch bands

We consider the Schr\"odinger operator in two dimensions with a periodic potential and a strong constant magnetic field perturbed by slowly varying non-periodic scalar and vector potentials, $\phi(\epsilon x)$ and $A(\epsilon x)$, for $\epsilon\ll 1$. For each isolated family of magnetic Bloch bands we derive an effective Hamiltonian that is unitarily equivalent to the restriction of the Schr\"odinger operator to a corresponding almost invariant subspace. At leading order, our effective Hamiltonian can be interpreted as the Peierls substitution Hamiltonian widely used in physics for non-magnetic Bloch bands. However, while for non-magnetic Bloch bands the corresponding result is well understood, for magnetic Bloch bands it is not clear how to even define a Peierls substitution Hamiltonian beyond a formal expression. The source of the difficulty is a topological obstruction: magnetic Bloch bundles are generically not trivializable. As a consequence, Peierls substitution Hamiltonians for magnetic Bloch bands turn out to be pseudodifferential operators acting on sections of non-trivial vector bundles over a two-torus, the reduced Brillouin zone. Part of our contribution is the construction of a suitable Weyl calculus for such pseudos. As an application of our results we construct a new family of canonical one-band Hamiltonians $H^B_{\theta,q}$ for magnetic Bloch bands with Chern number $\theta\in \mathbb{Z}$ that generalizes the Hofstadter model $H^B_{\rm Hof} = H^B_{0,1}$ for a single non-magnetic Bloch band. It turns out that $H^B_{\theta,q}$ is isospectral to $H^{q^2B}_{\rm Hof}$ for any $\theta$ and all spectra agree with the Hofstadter spectrum depicted in his famous black and white butterfly. However, the resulting Chern numbers of subbands, corresponding to Hall conductivities, depend on $\theta$ and $q$, and thus the models lead to different colored butterflies.Comment: 39 pages, 4 figures. Final version to appear in Analysis & PD

Spectral shift function and resonances for slowly varying perturbations of periodic Schrödinger operators

AbstractWe study the spectral shift function s(λ,h) and the resonances of the operator P(h)=-Δ+V(x)+W(hx). Here V is a periodic potential, W a decreasing perturbation and h a small positive constant. We give a representation of the derivative of s(λ,h) related to the resonances of P(h), and we obtain a Weyl-type asymptotics of s(λ,h). We establish an upper bound O(h-n+1) for the number of the resonances of P(h) lying in a disk of radius h