Dispersive estimates for higher dimensional Schrödinger operators with threshold eigenvalues I: The odd dimensional case

Abstract

We investigate $L^1(\mathbb R^n)\to L^\infty(\mathbb R^n)$ dispersive estimates for the Schr\"odinger operator $H=-\Delta+V$ when there is an eigenvalue at zero energy and $n\geq 5$ is odd. In particular, we show that if there is an eigenvalue at zero energy then there is a time dependent, rank one operator $F_t$ satisfying $\|F_t\|_{L^1\to L^\infty} \lesssim |t|^{2-\frac{n}{2}}$ for $|t|>1$ such that $$\|e^{itH}P_{ac}-F_t\|_{L^1\to L^\infty} \lesssim |t|^{1-\frac{n}{2}},\qquad\textrm{ for } |t|>1.$$ With stronger decay conditions on the potential it is possible to generate an operator-valued expansion for the evolution, taking the form $$ e^{itH} P_{ac}(H)=|t|^{2-\frac{n}{2}}A_{-2}+ |t|^{1-\frac{n}{2}} A_{-1}+|t|^{-\frac{n}{2}}A_0, $$ with $A_{-2}$ and $A_{-1}$ finite rank operators mapping $L^1(\mathbb R^n)$ to $L^\infty(\mathbb R^n)$ while $A_0$ maps weighted $L^1$ spaces to weighted $L^\infty$ spaces. The leading order terms $A_{-2}$ and $A_{-1}$ vanish when certain orthogonality conditions between the potential $V$ and the zero energy eigenfunctions are satisfied. We show that under the same orthogonality conditions, the remaining $|t|^{-\frac{n}{2}}A_0$ term also exists as a map from $L^1(\mathbb R^n)$ to $L^\infty(\mathbb R^n)$, hence $e^{itH}P_{ac}(H)$ satisfies the same dispersive bounds as the free evolution despite the eigenvalue at zero.