Splitting Methods for SU(N) Loop Approximation

The problem of finding the correct asymptotic rate of approximation by polynomial loops in dependence of the smoothness of the elements of a loop group seems not well-understood in general. For matrix Lie groups such as SU(N), it can be viewed as a problem of nonlinearly constrained trigonometric approximation. Motivated by applications to optical FIR filter design and control, we present some initial results for the case of SU(N)-loops, N>1. In particular, using representations via the exponential map and ideas from splitting methods, we prove that the best approximation of an SU(N)-loop belonging to a Hoelder-Zygmund class Lip_alpha with alpha>1/2 by a polynomial SU(N)-loop of degree n is of the order O(n^{-\alpha/(1+\alpha)}) as n tends to infinity. Although this approximation rate is not considered final (and can be improved in special cases), to our knowledge it is the first general, nontrivial result of this type.Comment: 14 pages, still submitted to J. Approx. Th. typos corrected, part of the proof of Lemma 4 concerning the auxiliary statement on page 8 rewritten in a clearer wa

Spectral Relationships Between Kicked Harper and On-Resonance Double Kicked Rotor Operators

Kicked Harper operators and on-resonance double kicked rotor operators model quantum systems whose semiclassical limits exhibit chaotic dynamics. Recent computational studies indicate a striking resemblance between the spectrums of these operators. In this paper we apply C*-algebra methods to explain this resemblance. We show that each pair of corresponding operators belong to a common rotation C*-algebra B_\alpha, prove that their spectrums are equal if \alpha is irrational, and prove that the Hausdorff distance between their spectrums converges to zero as q increases if \alpha = p/q with p and q coprime integers. Moreover, we show that corresponding operators in B_\alpha are homomorphic images of mother operators in the universal rotation C*-algebra A_\alpha that are unitarily equivalent and hence have identical spectrums. These results extend analogous results for almost Mathieu operators. We also utilize the C*-algebraic framework to develop efficient algorithms to compute the spectrums of these mother operators for rational \alpha and present preliminary numerical results that support the conjecture that their spectrums are Cantor sets if \alpha is irrational. This conjecture for almost Mathieu operators, called the Ten Martini Problem, was recently proved after intensive efforts over several decades. This proof for the almost Mathieu operators utilized transfer matrix methods, which do not exist for the kicked operators. We outline a strategy, based on a special property of loop groups of semisimple Lie groups, to prove this conjecture for the kicked operators.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figure