AbstractWe consider the equation Δu = Vu in the half-space ${\open R}_ + ^d $, d ⩾ 2 where V has certain periodicity properties. In particular, we show that such equations cannot have non-trivial superexponentially decaying solutions. As an application this leads to a new proof for the absolute continuity of the spectrum of particular periodic Schrödinger operators. The equation Δu = Vu is studied as part of a broader class of elliptic evolution equations.