Carleman Factorization of Layer Potentials on Smooth Domains

Abstract One of the unexplored benefits of studying layer potentials on smooth, closed hypersurfaces of Euclidean space is the factorization of the Neumann-Poincaré operator into a product of two self-adjoint transforms. Resurrecting some pertinent indications of Carleman and M. G. Krein, we exploit this grossly overlooked structure by confining the spectral analysis of the Neumann-Poincaré operator to the amenable $$L^2$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>L</mml:mi> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:msup> </mml:math> -space setting, rather than bouncing back and forth the computations between Sobolev spaces of negative or positive fractional order. An enhanced, fresh new look at symmetrizable linear transforms enters into the picture in the company of geometric/microlocal analysis techniques. The outcome is manyfold, complementing recent advances on the theory of layer potentials, in the smooth boundary setting.