We give a survey on the calculus of (pseudo-differential) boundary value problems with the transmision property at the boundary, and ellipticity in the Shapiro-Lopatinskij sense. Apart from the original results of the work of Boutet de Monvel we present an approach based on the ideas of the edge calculus. In a final section we introduce symbols with the anti-transmission property.
We construct elliptic elements in the algebra of (classical pseudo-differential) operators on a manifold M with conical singularities. The ellipticity of any such operator A refers to a pair of principal symbols (σ0, σ1) where σ0 is the standard (degenerate) homogeneous principal symbol, and σ1 is the so-called conormal symbol, depending on the complex Mellin covariable z. The conormal symbol, responsible for the conical singularity, is operator-valued and acts in Sobolev spaces on the base X of the cone. The σ1-ellipticity is a bijectivity condition for all z of real part (n + 1)/2 − γ, n = dimX, for some weight γ. In general, we have to rule out a discrete set of exceptional weights that depends on A. We show that for every operator A which is elliptic with respect to σ0, and for any real weight γ there is a smoothing Mellin operator F in the cone algebra such that A + F is elliptic including σ1. Moreover, we apply the results to ellipticity and index of (operator-valued) edge symbols from the calculus on manifolds with edges.
The ellipticity of operators on a manifold with edge is defined as the bijectivity of the components of a principal symbolic hierarchy sigma = (sigma(psi), sigma(boolean AND)), where the second component takes values in operators on the infinite model cone of the local wedges. In the general understanding of edge problems there are two basic aspects: Quantisation of edge-degenerate operators in weighted Sobolev spaces, and verifying the ellipticity of the principal edge symbol sigma(boolean AND) which includes the (in general not explicity known) number of additional conditions of trace and potential type on the edge. We focus here on these questions and give explicit answers for a wide class of elliptic operators that are connected with the ellipticity of edge boundary value problems and reductions to the boundary. In particular, we study the edge quantisation and ellipticity for Dirichlet-Neumann operators with respect to interfaces of some codimension on a boundary. We show analogues of the Agranovich-Dynin formula for edge boundary value problems.
The ellipticity of boundary value problems on a smooth manifold with boundary relies on a two-component principal symbolic structure (sigma(psi), sigma(partial derivative)), consisting of interior and boundary symbols. In the case of a smooth edge on manifolds with boundary, we have a third symbolic component, namely, the edge symbol sigma(boolean AND), referring to extra conditions on the edge, analogously as boundary conditions. Apart from such conditions 'in integral form' there may exist singular trace conditions, investigated in Kapanadze et al., Internal Equations and Operator Theory, 61, 241-279, 2008 on 'closed' manifolds with edge. Here, we concentrate on the phenomena in combination with boundary conditions and edge problem.