Bounds on the Pure Point Spectrum of Lattice Schrödinger Operators

Abstract: In dimension $d\geq 3$, a variational principle for the size of the pure point spectrum of (discrete) Schr\"odinger operators $H(\mathfrak{e},V)$ on the hypercubic lattice $\mathbb{Z}^{d}$, with dispersion relation $\mathfrak{e}$ and potential $V$, is established. The dispersion relation $\mathfrak{e}$ is assumed to be a Morse function and the potential $V(x)$ to decay faster than $|x|^{-2(d+3)}$, but not necessarily to be of definite sign. Our estimate on the size of the pure-point spectrum yields the absence of embedded and threshold eigenvalues of $H(\mathfrak{e},V)$ for a class ot potentials of this kind. The proof of the variational principle is based on a limiting absorption principle combined with a positive commutator (Mourre) estimate, and a Virial theorem. A further observation of crucial importance for our argument is that, for any selfadjoint operator $B$ and positive number $\lambda >0$, the number of negative eigenvalues of $\lambda B$ is independent of $\lambda$.