In this paper, we consider the (essential) spectrum of the discrete Laplacian of an infinite graph. We introduce a new quantity for an infinite graph, in terms of which we give new lower bound estimates of the (essential) spectrum and give also upper bound estimates when the infinite graph is bipartite. We give sharp estimates of the (essential) spectrum for several examples of infinite graphs.

Errors to a previous paper (Canad. J. Math. (2) {\bf 49}(1997), 232--262) are corrected. A non-standard regularisation of the auxiliary operator $A$ appearing in Mourre theory is used.

Let $\Gamma$ be a rank-one arithmetic subgroup of a semisimple Lie group~$G$. For fixed $K$-Type, the spectral side of the Selberg trace formula defines a distribution on the space of infinitesimal characters of~$G$, whose discrete part encodes the dimensions of the spaces of square-integrable $\Gamma$-automorphic forms. It is shown that this distribution converges to the Plancherel measure of $G$ when $\Ga$ shrinks to the trivial group in a certain restricted way. The analogous assertion for cocompact lattices $\Gamma$ follows from results of DeGeorge-Wallach and Delorme.

We prove a uniform upper estimate on the number of cuspidal eigenvalues of the $\Ga$-automorphic Laplacian below a given bound when $\Ga$ varies in a family of congruence subgroups of a given reductive linear algebraic group. Each $\Ga$ in the family is assumed to contain a principal congruence subgroup whose index in $\Ga$ does not exceed a fixed number. The bound we prove depends linearly on the covolume of $\Ga$ and is deduced from the analogous result about the cut-off Laplacian. The proof generalizes the heat-kernel method which has been applied by Donnelly in the case of a fixed lattice~$\Ga$.

The spectral theory for the Neumann Laplacian on planar domains with symmetric, horn-like ends is studied. For a large class of such domains, it is proven that the Neumann Laplacian has no singular continuous spectrum, and that the pure point spectrum consists of eigenvalues of finite multiplicity which can accumulate only at $0$ or $\infty$. The proof uses Mourre theory.