Leaky Quantum Graphs: A Review

Pavel Exner

Published 2007-10-31, updated 2008-01-07Version 2

The aim of this review is to provide an overview of a recent work concerning ``leaky'' quantum graphs described by Hamiltonians given formally by the expression $-\Delta -\alpha \delta (x-\Gamma)$ with a singular attractive interaction supported by a graph-like set in $\mathbb{R}^\nu,\: \nu=2,3$. We will explain how such singular Schr\"odinger operators can be properly defined for different codimensions of $\Gamma$. Furthermore, we are going to discuss their properties, in particular, the way in which the geometry of $\Gamma$ influences their spectra and the scattering, strong-coupling asymptotic behavior, and a discrete counterpart to leaky-graph Hamiltonians using point interactions. The subject cannot be regarded as closed at present, and we will add a list of open problems hoping that the reader will take some of them as a challenge.