Schroedinger operators with generic potentials achieve maximal resonance density

Abstract

We show that for a generic real or complex-valued compactly supported potential, the corresponding Schroedinger operator achieves maximal resonance density, in the sense that its integrated resonance counting function achieves the optimal asymptotic upper bound. For odd dimensions this follows from results of Dinh-Vu once we adapt an argument of Christiansen Hislop. The proof for even dimensions constitutes the bulk of the paper, and we prove several new results on resonances which have analogues in the odd dimensional case. This includes a sharp upper bound on the integrated resonance counting function for any compactly support potential, a proof that the characteristic function of a ball has resonance counting function which achieves the optimal upper bound, and an even-dimensional analogue of the result of Dinh-Vu on asymptotics of the resonance counting functions for complements of pluripolar subsets of analytic families of potentials. We use the characterization of resonances as zeros of certain Fredholm determinant functions related to the scattering matrix, allowing us to apply techniques and results from the theories of one and several complex variables. Our proof that the characteristic function of a ball has counting function achieving the optimal upper bound uses the uniform asymptotics of Bessel functions and follows ideas of Zworski, Christiansen-Hislop, and Dinh-Vu.