Quantum systems at the brink: existence of bound states, critical potentials and dimensionality

One of the crucial properties of a quantum system is the existence of bound states. While the existence of eigenvalues below zero, i.e., below the essential spectrum, is well understood, the situation of zero energy bound states at the edge of the essential spectrum is far less understood. We present necessary and sufficient conditions for Schrödinger operators to have a zero energy bound state. Our sharp criteria show that the existence and non-existence of zero energy ground states depends strongly on the dimension and the asymptotic behavior of the potential. There is a spectral phase transition with dimension four being critical.