On closed ideals in the big Lipschitz algebras of analytic functions (Q385935)

Let \(0<\alpha\leq1\). The big Lipschitz algebra \(A=\text{Lip}_\alpha\) consists of those bounded analytic functions \(f\) on the unit disk \(\mathbb{D}\) that satisfy a Lipschitz condition \(|f(z)-f(w)|\leq\kappa|z-w|^\alpha\) for some constant \(\kappa>0\) and all \(z,w\in\mathbb{D}\). It is a nonseparable Banach function algebra (semisimple commutative Banach algebra) with maximal ideal space equal to the closed disk. The closed ideals in this algebra \(A\) have not as yet been completely characterised. To each closed ideal \(I\subset A\) one may associate two invariants: the set \(\mathbb{E}_I\subset\mathbb{T}\) of common zeros on the circle \(\mathbb{T}\) of all the elements \(f\in I\), and the function \(U_I\), the greatest inner common divisor of all the \(f\in I\). In the analogous case of the classical disk algebra, these two invariants determine the ideal completely, but in the present case there may be many ideals that share a given pair of invariants. Obviously, given a closed set \(\mathbb{E}\subset \mathbb{T}\) and an inner function \(U\), the largest ideal of \(A\) with \(\mathbb{E}_I = \mathbb{E}\) and \(U_I=U\) is the set \[ I_\alpha(\mathbb{E},U) = A \cap \{f: f = 0 \text{ on } \mathbb{E} \text{ and } f/U \text{ is bounded} \}. \] Note that this ideal may be \(\{0\}\). The main result of the present paper characterises the smallest closed ideal having \(E_I=E\) and \(U_I=U\). It is the set \[ J_\alpha(\mathbb{E},U) = \left\{ f\in I_\alpha(\mathbb{E},U): \lim_{\delta\to0} \sup_{z\in \mathbb{E}(\delta)} \left(1-|z|\right)^{1-\alpha} |f'(z)| = 0 \right\}, \] where \(\mathbb{E}(\delta) = \left\{ z\in\mathbb{D}: \text{dist}(z,\mathbb{E} \leq \delta \right\}\). This result was previously proved by \textit{T. V. Pedersen} [Stud. Math. 161, No.~1, 33--59 (2004; Zbl 1054.46037)] in the special case where \(\mathbb{E}\) is countable. One corollary is that this minimal ideal is principal (in the topological sense, i.e., it is the closure of an algebraic principal ideal). It is also shown that the ideal is nontrivial if and only if a suitable Carleson-type condition holds for the set \(Z = \mathbb{E}\cup U^{-1}(0)\): \[ \int_0^{2\pi} \log \text{dist}( e^{i\theta}, Z )\,d\theta > -\infty. \]