UBC Mathematics Department
http://www.math.ubc.ca

Colloquium Abstract: Professor Ira Herbst, University of Virginia

The Schrodinger equation with strong magnetic fields; spectral orbits and topology

The Schrodinger Hamiltonian is a self-adjoint operator in a Hilbert space. We study the spectrum of this operator as a function of the magnetic field strength for large fields. We think of the spectrum as a point in some large space and observe its motion (orbi) through this space as the magnetic field becomes large. In some nice situations we will show that the motion approaches a periodic or quasi-periodic orbit. I will attempt to make the talk as elementary as possible.