Schrödinger operators on graphs and geometry I: Essentially bounded potentials

The inverse spectral problem for Schrödinger operators on finite compact metric graphs is investigated. The relations between the spectral asymptotics and geometric properties of the underlying graph are studied. It is proven that the Euler characteristic of the graph can be calculated from the spectrum of the Schrödinger operator in the case of essentially bounded real potentials and standard boundary conditions at the vertices. Several generalizations of the presented results are discussed. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.