Spectral flow inside essential spectrum IV: $F^*F$ is a regular direction

Abstract

Let~$H_0$ and~$V$ be self-adjoint operators such that~$V$ admits a factorisation $V = F^*JF$ with bounded self-adjoint $J$ and $|H_0|^{1/2}$-compact~$F.$ Flow of singular spectrum of the path of self-adjoint operators $H_0 + rV,$ $r \in \mathbb R,$ -- also called spectral flow, through a point $\lambda$ outside the essential spectrum of~$H_0$ is well studied, and appears in such diverse areas as differential geometry and condensed matter physics. Inside the essential spectrum the spectral flow through $\lambda$ for such a path is well-defined if the norm limit $$ \lim_{y \to 0^+} F (H_0 + r V - \lambda - iy)^{-1} F^* $$ exists for at least one value of the coupling variable $r \in \mathbb R$. This raises the question: given a self-adjoint operator~$H_0$ and $|H_0|^{1/2}$-compact operator $F,$ for which real numbers $\lambda$ there exists a bounded self-adjoint operator $J$ such that the limit above exists? Real numbers $\lambda$ for which this statement is true we call semi-regular and the operator $V = F^*JF$ we call a regular direction for~$H_0$ at $\lambda.$ In this paper we prove that $\lambda$ is semi-regular for~$H_0$ if and only if the direction $F^*F$ is regular.