Operator-valued Nevanlinna-Pick kernels and the functional models for contraction operators (Q1089881)

Given a contractive operator function B(z) analytic on the unit disk, de Branges and Rovnyak introduced the Hilbert space H(B) of vector-valued analytic functions with reproducing kernel \[ K^ B(w,z)=(1-\bar wz)^{-1}(I-B(z)B(w)^*). \] The authors obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for one such space \(H(B_ 2)\) to be contained in another \(H(B_ 1)\), or equivalently, for the existence of a positive number \(\alpha\) for which the operator valued kernel \(\alpha K^{B_ 1}-K^{B_ 2}\) is positive definite. The condition involves the outer factor A of the maximal factorable minorant \(A^*A\) of \((I-B^*B)\). The approach is to relate the de Branges-Rovnyak model space with Sz.-Nagy- Foias model space and then use the commutant lifting theorem of Sz.-Nagy and Foias. The authors obtain other quantitative results which illustrate the key role of the maximal factorable minorant A in the fine structure of de Branges-Rovnyak and Sz.-Nagy-Foias model space. This complements related recent work of D. Sarason and N. K. Nikolski.