We consider Schrdinger operators in dimension 2 with a singular interaction supported by an infinite family of concentric spheres, analogous to a system studied by Hempel and coauthors for regular potentials. The essential spectrum covers a half line determined by the appropriate one-dimensional comparison operator; it is dense pure point in the gaps of the latter. If the interaction is nontrivial and radially periodic, there are infinitely many absolutely continuous bands; in contrast to the regular case the lengths of the p.p. segments interlacing with the bands tend asymptotically to a positive constant in the high-energy limit.

We investigate an electron in the plane interacting with the magnetic field due to an electric current forming a localized rotationally symmetric vortex. We show that independently of the vortex profile an electron with spin antiparallel to the magnetic field can be trapped if the vortex current is strong enough. In addition, the electron scattering on the vortex exhibits resonances for any spin orientation. On the other hand, in distinction to models with a localized flux tube this situation exhibits no bound states for weak vortices.

We consider an electron constrained to move on a surface with revolution symmetry in the presence of a constant magnetic field B parallel to the surface axis. Depending on B and the surface geometry the transverse part of the spectrum typically exhibits many crossings which change to avoided crossings if a weak symmetry breaking interaction is introduced. We study the effect of such perturbations on the quantum propagation. This problem admits a natural reformulation to which tools from molecular dynamics can be applied. In turn, this leads to the study of a perturbation theory for the time dependent BornOppenheimer approximation.

We investigate a class of generalized Schrdinger operators in L²(³) with a singular interaction supported by a smooth curve . We find a strong-coupling asymptotic expansion of the discrete spectrum in the case when is a loop or an infinite bent curve which is asymptotically straight. It is given in terms of an auxiliary one-dimensional Schrdinger operator with a potential determined by the curvature of . In the same way, we obtain asymptotics of spectral bands for a periodic curve. In particular, the spectrum is shown to have open gaps in this case if is not a straight line and the singular interaction is strong enough.

The problem of maximizing the L p norms of chords connecting points on a closed curve separated by arc length u arises in electrostatic and quantum-mechanical problems. It is known that among all closed curves of fixed length, the unique maximizing shape is the circle for 1 p 2, but this is not the case for sufficiently large values of p. Here we determine the critical value p c (u) of p above which the circle is not a local maximizer finding, in particular, that p c (1 2 L)= 5 2. This corrects a claim made in [P. Exner, EM Harrell, M. Loss, Lett. Math. Phys. 75 (2006) 225].