Continuous spectrum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The spectrum of a linear operator is

commonly divided into three parts: point
spectrum, continuous spectrum, and residual
spectrum.

If H is a topological vector space and is a

linear map, the spectrum of A is the set of
complex numbers λ such that is not
invertible. We divide the spectrum depending
on why this is not invertible.

If A − λI is not injective, we say that λ is in the

point spectrum of A. Elements of the point
spectrum are called eigenvalues of A and non-
zero elements of the null space of A − λI are
known as eigenvectors of A. Thus λ is an
eigenvalue of A if and only if there is a non-
zero vector such that Av = λv.
If A − λI does not have closed range, but the
range is dense in H, we say that λ is in the
continuous spectrum of A. The union of the
point spectrum and the continuous spectrum
is known as the set of generalized
eigenvalues. Thus λ is a generalized
eigenvalue of A if and only if there is a
sequence of vectors {vn}, bounded away
from zero, such that .

Finally, if A − λI does not have closed range,

and its range is not dense in H, we say that λ
is in the residual spectrum of A.
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Quantum mechanical interpretations

The position operator usually has a

continuous spectrum, much like the
momentum operator in an infinite space. But
the momentum in a compact space, the
angular momentum, and the Hamiltonian of
various physical systems, specially bound
states, tend to have a discrete (quantized)
spectrum -- that is where the name quantum
mechanics comes from. However computing
the spectra or cross sections associated with
scattering experiments (like for instance high
resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy)
usually requires the computation of the non
quantized or continuous spectrum (density of
states) of the Hamiltonian. This is particularly
true when broad resonances or strong
background scattering is observed. The
branch of quantum mechanics concerned with
these scattering events is referred to as
scattering theory. The formal scattering
theory has a strong overlap with the theory of
continuous spectra.

The quantum harmonic oscillator and the

hydrogen atom are examples of physical
systems in which the Hamiltonian has a
discrete spectrum. In the case of the
hydrogen atom, it has both continuous as well
as discrete part of the spectrum; the
continuous part represents the ionized atom.

Clarification needed: This section, contrary to

its title, does not offer a quantum mechanical
interpretation of the continuous spectrum. If
such an interpretation were to be offered it
would explain a very simple and practical
question: how is it that the heated piece of a
single chemical element in a solid form (say
an iron wire) emits a continuous spectrum
(light and invisible infrared), in contradiction
to the quantum version of the emission
mechanism, whereby the disctrete energy
levels in the iron atom's schould only
generate a handful of specific spectral
frequencies / lines characteristic to this
element ?

(Physics / General Physics) a spectrum that

contains or appears to contain all
wavelengths but not spectrum lines over a
wide portion of its range. The emission
spectrum of incandescent solids is
continuous; bremsstrahlung spectra
consisting of a large number of lines may
appear continuous