The optimal spectral gap for regular and disordered harmonic networks of oscillators

Abstract

We consider one-dimensional chains and multi-dimensional networks of harmonic oscillators coupled to two Langevin heat reservoirs at different temperatures. Each particle interacts with its nearest neighbors by harmonic potentials and all individual particles are confined by harmonic potentials, too. In this article, we provide, for the first time, the sharp N dependence of the spectral gap of the associated generator under various physical assumptions and for different spatial dimensions. Our method of proof relies on a new approach to analyze a non self-adjoint eigenvalue problem involving low-rank non-hermitian perturbations of auxiliary discrete Schr\"odinger operators.