Invariant subspaces generated by a single function in the polydisk

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Abstract: In this study, we partially answer the question left open in Rudin's book "Function theory in polydiscs" on the structure of invariant subspaces of the Hardy space H2(Un) on the polydisc Un. We completely describe all invariant subspaces generated by a single function in the polydisc. Then, using our results, we give the unitary equivalence of this type of invariant subspace and a characterization of outer functions in H2(Un).


Let \(H^2(U^n)\) denote the Hardy space on the unit polydisk \(U^n\) in \(\mathbb C^n\). A subspace \(M\subset H^2(U^n)\) is called invariant if \(M\) is a closed linear subset and \(f\in M\) implies \(z_if\in M\), for all \(i=1,\dots,n\). For \(n=1\) a famous theorem of A. Beurling characterizes such invariant spaces as those of the form \(f H^2(U)\), where \(f\) is an inner function (i.e., \(f\) analytic on \(U\) such that \(\lim_{r\to 1^-} |f(re^{i\theta})|=1\), for a.e. \(\theta\in[0,2\pi]\)). For \(n>1\) the structure is much more complicated. Spaces generated by inner functions are still invariant, but there are many other possibilities. For instance, there exist invariant subspaces in \(H^2(U^2)\) that are not even finitely generated [\textit{W. Rudin}, Function theory in polydiscs. New York-Amsterdam: W.A. Benjamin, Inc. (1969; Zbl 0177.34101)]. In this paper the authors study invariant subspaces generated by a single function. The first result (Theorem 2) shows that every singly generated invariant subspace is generated by a so-called generalized inner function. These are the functions \(f\in H^\infty(U^n)\) such that \(1/f^*\) is bounded in the torus \(\mathbb T^n\). Here \(f^*\) denotes as usual the boundary values of \(f\), which exist a.e. on \(\mathbb T^n\). In Theorem 3 examples are constructed to show that invariant subspaces generated by generalized inner functions are not always generated by inner functions. As a corollary it is shown that for a generalized inner function the identity \(f H^2(U)=H^2(U)\) holds if and only if \(f\) is outer, that is, \(\log|f(0)|=\int_{\mathbb T^n} \log|f^*|\, dm_n\). The last result (Theorem 4) deals with equivalent subspaces. Two subspaces \(M_1,M_2\) are unitarily equivalent if there exists \(\mathcal U:M_1\longrightarrow M_2\) such that \(\mathcal U (\theta f)=\theta (\mathcal U f)\), for \(\theta\in H^\infty(U^n)\) and \(f\in M_1\). It is seen that given \(f_1,f_2\) generalized inner functions, \(f_1H^2(U^n)\) and \(f_2H^2(U^n)\) are unitarily equivalent if \(|f_1^*|=|f_2^*|\) a.e. on \(\mathbb T^n\). Furthermore, any invariant subspace \(M\) of \(H^2(U^n)\) unitarily equivalent to a singly generated invariant subspace is also singly generated.











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