The minimal normal extension problem for subnormal operators (Q1071233)

Let S be a subnormal operator with minimal normal extension N and scalar- valued spectral measure \(\mu\). There is a functional calculus \(f\to f(S)\) defined for \(f\in R^{\infty}(\sigma (S),\mu)\equiv\) the weak* closure in \(L^{\infty}(\mu)\) of the set of rational functions in the analytic variable z with poles off \(\sigma\) (S). The paper under review investigates the problem of when f(N) is the minimal normal extension of f(S). This problem is shown to be equivalent to the purely function-theoretic problem of when the algebra generated by \(R^{\infty}(K,\mu)\) and \(\bar f\) is weak* dense in \(L^{\infty}(\mu)\) given that K is a compact subset of \({\mathbb{C}}\), \(\mu\) is a regular Borel measure on K, and \(f\in R^{\infty}(K,\mu)\). The function-theoretic problem is solved in some situations, e.g. when R(K) is hypodirichlet. Five open questions are posed at the paper's end. It should be noted that Theodore Gamelin has elegantly solved the second, and thus also the third of these problems, while James Thomson has solved the fourth.