Quantum networks are often modelled using Schrdinger operators on metric graphs. To give meaning to such models one has to know how to interpret the boundary conditions which match the wave functions at the graph vertices. In this article we give a survey, technically not too heavy, of several recent results which serve this purpose. Specifically, we consider approximations by means of fat graphsin other words, suitable families of shrinking manifoldsand discuss convergence of the spectra and resonances in such a setting.

We treat a free spinless quantum particle moving on a configuration manifold which consists of two identical parts connected in one point. Most attention is paid to the three-dimensional case when these parts are halfspaces with Neumann condition on the boundary; we also discuss briefly a more general boundary conditions. The class of admissible Hamiltonians is constructed by means of the theory of self-adjoint extensions. Among them, particularly important is a two-parameter family whose elements are invariant with respect to exchange of the halfspaces; we compute the transmission coefficient for each of these extensions. We discuss also the motion on two planes considered in our recent paper, obtaining another characterization of the admissible Hamiltonians. In conclusion, the two situations are compared as models for point-contact spectroscopical experiments in thin metal films.

We discuss the discrete spectrum induced by bulges on threadlike mesoscopic objects, using two models, a continuous hard-wall waveguide and a discrete tight-binding model with two sorts of atomic orbitals. We show that elongated bulges induce numerous quasibound states. In the discrete model we also evaluate the probability of transition between the localized states and extended ones of the valence band. We suggest this as a mechanism governing the porous-silicon luminescence. In addition, the model reproduces the dominance of nonradiative transitions, blueshift for finer textures, and luminiscence suppression at low temperatures.

Let <i>A</i> and <i>B</i> be non-negative self-adjoint operators in a separable Hilbert space such that their form sum <i>C</i> is densely defined. It is shown that the Trotter product formula holds for imaginary parameter values in the <i>L</i> ²-norm, that is, one has <div class="gsh_dspfr"> \lim_{no+\infty} \int\limits^T_{-T} \left\|\left(e^{-itA/n}e^{-itB/n} ight)^nh - e^{-itC}hight\|^2dt = 0

We analyse two-dimensional Schrdinger operators with the potential| xy| p (x 2+ y 2) p/(p+ 2) where p 1 and 0. We show that there is a critical value of such that the spectrum for &lt; crit is bounded below and purely discrete, while for &gt; crit it is unbounded from below. In the subcritical case, we prove upper and lower bounds for the eigenvalue sums.