Key words Closed extension, M -function, abstract boundary spaces, boundary triplets, elliptic PDEs, pseudodifferential boundary operators, essential spectrum MSC (2000) 35J25, 35J30, 35J55, 35P05, 47A10, 47A11
Dedicated to the memory of Leonid R. VolevichIn this paper, we combine results on extensions of operators with recent results on the relation between the M -function and the spectrum, to examine the spectral behaviour of boundary value problems. M -functions are defined for general closed extensions, and associated with realisations of elliptic operators. In particular, we consider both ODE and PDE examples where it is possible for the operator to possess spectral points that cannot be detected by the M -function.