On \(n\)-contractive and \(n\)-hypercontractive operators. II (Q930457)

Several equivalent formulations of subnormality, including the Bram--Halmos and Embry's criteria, gave rise to some classes of operators which provide a measure of the gap between hyponormality and subnormality. Recall that a bounded linear operator \(T\) on a complex Hilbert space is said to be \textit{\(k\)-hyponormal} if the \(k\times k\) operator matrix \(({T^*}^{j}T^i-T^i{T^*}^{j})_{0\leq i,j\leq k}\) is positive. Equivalently, \(T\) is \(k\)-hyponormal if and only if the operator matrix \(({T^*}^{j}T^{i})_{0\leq i,j\leq k}\) is positive; see [\textit{S.\,McCullough} and \textit{V.\,Paulsen}, Proc.\ Am.\ Math.\ Soc.\ 107, No.\,1, 187--195 (1989; Zbl 0677.47018)]. The operator \(T\) is said to be \textit{Embry \(k\)-hyponormal} (or \textit{\(E(k)\)-hyponormal} as suggested in [Proc.\ Am.\ Math.\ Soc.\ 135, No.\,12, 3955--3965 (2007; Zbl 1131.47020)]) if the operator matrix \(({T^*}^{i+j}T^{i+j})_{0\leq i,j\leq k}\) is positive, and is said to be \(k\)-contractive if \[ A_k(T):=\sum_{i=0}^k(-1)^i\binom ki {T^*}^iT^i\geq0. \] If \(T\) is \(n\)-contractive for all \(n=1,\dots,k\), then \(T\) is called \(k\)-hypercontractive. It is known from [\textit{S.\,McCullough} and \textit{V.\,Paulsen}, Proc.\ Am.\ Math.\ Soc.\ 116, No.\,1, 165--169 (1992; Zbl 0774.47009)] that \(k\)-hyponormality and Embry \(k\)-hyponormality are equivalent for weighted shift operators, and further \(k\)-hyponormality implies Embry \(k\)-hyponormality in general. The paper under review continues the study of \(k\)-contractive and \(k\)-hypercontractive Hilbert space operators started in [\textit{G.\,R.\thinspace Exner}, Integral Equations Oper.\ Theory 56, No.\,4, 451--468 (2006; Zbl 1118.47012)] where it is showed, in particular, that \(k\)-contractivity need not imply even hyponormality, and that for a few special cases \(k\)-hyponormality does yield \(n\)-contractivity for some \(n\). The authors first show that Embry \(k\)-hyponormality and thus \(k\)-hyponormality always entail \(2k\)-contractivity. Next, they prove that the only unilateral weighted shift \(W\) for which \(A_n(W)=0\) for some \(n\) is the unweighted one which is subnormal and for which \(A_k(W)=0\) for all \(k\). Finally, they investigate the \(k\)-contractivity of back step extensions and perturbations of unilateral weighted shifts and some connections with the Berger measure of a subnormal shift.