Pairs of functions with indefinite Pick matrices (Q1873713)

The paper under review is a continuation of several recent investigations of symmetric kernels with a finite number of negative squares. In its turn, this subject is motivated by the theory of Pontryagin spaces, Sturm-Liouville problems and in general the control and stability theories of linear systems of differential equations. A fine recent monograph devoted to these topics is [\textit{D. Alpay}, \textit{A. Dijksma}, \textit{J. Rovnyak} and \textit{H. de Snoo}, ``Schur Functions, operator colligations, and reproducing kernel Pontryagin spaces (Oper. Theor. Adv. Appl. 96, Birkhäuser, Basel) (1997; Zbl 0879.47006)]. Specifically, the authors study operator-valued symmetric kernels, defined in the unit disk of the complex plane, of the type: \[ K(z,w)={h(z)h(w)^*-g(z)g(w)^*\over 1-z\overline w}. \] The main result gives necessary and sufficient conditions for \(K(z,w)\) to possess a finite number of negative squares in terms of factorizations of the form \(g(z)=h(z)S(z)\), where \(S(z)\) is a Schur function with certain possible singularities. The article is well written and can profitably be consulted by operator theorists and electrical engineers.