Numerical ranges of the powers of an operator (Q2267467)

For a bounded linear operator \(A\) on a complex Hilbert space \(H\) with inner product \(\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle\), its numerical range \(W(A)\), numerical radius \(w(A)\) and Crawford number \(c(A)\) are defined by \[ W(A)= \{\langle Ax,x\rangle: x\in H,\;\| x\|= 1\},\quad w(A)= \sup\{|z|: z\in W(A)\} \] and \[ c(A)= \text{inf}\{|z|: z\in W(A)\}, \] respectively. In this paper, results are derived which relate \(W(A^k)\), \(w(A^k)\) and \(c(A^k)\) (for \(k\) a positive integer or a negative integer if \(A\) is invertible) to \(W(A)\), \(w(A)\) and \(c(A)\). More specifically, it is shown for \(k\geq 1\) that {\parindent=6mm \begin{itemize}\item[(1)] \(W(A^k)\) is contained in \(W(\widetilde A)^k\), where \(\widetilde A= A\oplus uA\oplus\cdots\oplus u^{k-1} A\), \(u= \exp(2\pi i/k)\) and \(W(\widetilde A)^k\) denotes the convex set \(\{z^k: z\in W(\widetilde A)\}\), \item[(2)] if \(W(A)\) is contained in the circular segment \(\{z\in\mathbb{C}:|z|\leq 1,\,\text{Re\,}z\geq \cos\varphi\}\) \((0<\varphi\leq\pi/2)\), then \(W(A^k)\) is contained in \(\{z\in\mathbb{C}: |z|\leq 1\), \(\text{Re\,}z\geq \cos(k\varphi)\}\) for \(\lceil k/2\rceil\leq \pi/(2\varphi)\), \item[(3)] if \(c(A)= w(A)\cos\varphi\) \((0< \varphi\leq \pi/2)\), then \(c(A^k)\geq w(A^k)\cos(k\varphi)\) for \(k\leq \pi/(2\varphi)\), and \item[(4)] if \(c(A)\geq w(A)\cos(\pi/(2k))\), then \(c(A)^k\geq c(A^k)\). \end{itemize}} In the case of \(A\) invertible, the authors obtain \(c(A^{-1})\geq c(A)/w(A)^2\) and \(w(A^{-k})\geq w(A)^{-k}\) for all \(k\geq 1\). In the latter, the equality holds if and only if \(A\) is a nonzero multiple of a unitary operator. This is a generalization of a result of Stampfli that if \(A\) is invertible such that \(w(A)= w(A^{-1})= 1\), then \(A\) is unitary.