We consider continuous ${\mathrm {SL}}(2,{\mathbb R})$ valued cocycles over general dynamical systems and discuss a variety of uniformity notions. In particular, we provide a description of uniform one-parameter families of continuous ${\mathrm {SL}}(2,{\mathbb R})$ cocycles as $G_\delta $-sets. These results are then applied to Schrödinger operators with dynamically defined potentials. In the case where the base dynamics is given by a subshift satisfying the Boshernitzan condition, we show that for a generic continuous sampling function, the associated Schrödinger cocycles are uniform for all energies and, in the aperiodic case, the spectrum is a Cantor set of zero Lebesgue measure.

The spectrum and orthogonal eigenbasis are computed of a tridiagonal matrix encoding a finite-dimensional reduction of the difference Lamé equation at the single-gap integral value of the coupling parameter. This entails the exact solution, in terms of single-gap difference Lamé wave functions, for the spectral problem of a corresponding open inhomogeneous isotropic $XY$ chain with coupling constants built from elliptic integers.

We use tools from free probability to study the spectra of Hermitian operators on infinite graphs. Special attention is devoted to universal covering trees of finite graphs. For operators on these graphs, we derive a new variational formula for the spectral radius and provide new proofs of results due to Sunada and Aomoto using free probability.

With the goal of extending the applicability of free probability techniques beyond universal covering trees, we introduce a new combinatorial product operation on graphs and show that, in the noncommutative probability context, it corresponds to the notion of freeness with amalgamation. We show that Cayley graphs of amalgamated free products of groups, as well as universal covering trees, can be constructed using our graph product.

We consider continuous cocycles arising from CMV and Jacobi matrices. Assuming that the Verblunsky and Jacobi coefficients arise from generalized skew-shifts, we prove that uniform hyperbolicity of the associated cocycles is $C^0$ -dense. This implies that the associated CMV and Jacobi matrices have a Cantor spectrum for a generic continuous sampling map.

We prove a conditional theorem on the positivity of the Lyapunov exponent for a Schrödinger cocycle over a skew-shift base with a cosine potential and the golden ratio as frequency. For coupling below 1, which is the threshold for Herman’s subharmonicity trick, we formulate three conditions on the Lyapunov exponent in a finite but large volume and on the associated large-deviation estimates at that scale. Our main results demonstrate that these finite-size conditions imply the positivity of the infinite-volume Lyapunov exponent. This paper shows that it is possible to make the techniques developed for the study of Schrödinger operators with deterministic potentials, based on large-deviation estimates and the avalanche principle, effective.

We give an upper estimate for the order of the entire functions in the Nevanlinna parameterization of the solutions of an indeterminate Hamburger moment problem. Under a regularity condition this estimate becomes explicit and takes the form of a convergence exponent. Proofs are based on transformations of canonical systems and I.S.Kac' formula for the spectral asymptotics of a string. Combining with a lower estimate from previous work, we obtain a class of moment problems for which order can be computed. This generalizes a theorem of Yu.M.Berezanskii about spectral asymptotics of a Jacobi matrix (in the case that order is ⩽ 1/2).

We prove a general Borg-type result for reflectionless unitary CMV operators $U$ associated with orthogonal polynomials on the unit circle. The spectrum of $U$ is assumed to be a connected arc on the unit circle. This extends a recent result of Simon in connection with a periodic CMV operator with spectrum the whole unit circle.

In the course of deriving the Borg-type result we also use exponential Herglotz representations of Caratheodory functions to prove an infinite sequence of trace formulas connected with the CMV operator $U$.

Let $H$ be the discrete Schrödinger operator

$$Hu(n):=u(n-1)+u(n+1)+v(n)u(n),\quad u(0)=0$$

acting on $l^2 (\mathbb{Z}^+)$, where the potential $v$ is real-valued and $v(n) \to 0$ as $n \to \infty$. Let <formula form="inline" disc="math" id="frm007"><formtex notation="AMSTeX">$P$ be the orthogonal projection onto a closed linear subspace $\Lambda \subset l^2 (\mathbb{Z}^+)$. In a recent paper E. B. Davies defines the second order spectrum ${\rm Spec}_2(H, \Lambda)$ of $H$ relative to $\Lambda$ as the set of $z \in \mathbb{C}$ such that the restriction to $\Lambda$ of the operator $P(H - z)^2P$ is not invertible within the space $\Lambda$. The purpose of this article is to investigate properties of ${\rm Spec}_2(H, \Lambda)$ when $\Lambda$ is large but finite dimensional. We explore in particular the connection between this set and the spectrum of $H$. Our main result provides sharp bounds in terms of the potential $v$ for the asymptotic behaviour of ${\rm Spec}_2(H, \Lambda)$ as $\Lambda$ increases towards $l^2(\mathbb{Z}^+)$.

Let $J$ be a Jacobi real symmetric matrix on $l_{2}$ with zero diagonal and non-diagonal entries of the form $\{1+p_{n}\}$. If $p_{n-1}\pm p_{n}=O(n^{-\alpha})$ with some $\alpha>2/3$, then the existence of bounded solutions of $Ju=\lambda u$ is proved for almost every $\lambda\in(-2,2)$ with the WKB-type asymptotic behavior.