The stable rank of the algebra \(H^ \infty\) equals 1 (Q1207130)

Let \(A\) be a commutative Banach algebra with unit \(e\). An \(n\)-tuple \(a= (a_ 1,a_ 2,\dots,a_ n)\in A^ n\) is called unimodular, if there exists an \(n\)-tuple \(b=(b_ 1,b_ 2,\dots,b_ n)\in A^ n\) such that \(\sum^ n_{j=1} a_ j b_ j= e\), and \(a\in A^ n\) is called reducible, if the \((n-1)\)-tuple \[ (a_ 1+ a_ n x_ 1,\;a_ 2+ a_ n x_ 2,\dots, a_{n-1}+ a_ n x_{n-1}) \] is unimodular for some \(x_ 1,x_ 2,\dots,x_{n-1}\in A\). The stable rank of \(A\) is the least \(n\) such that every unimodular \(a\in A^{n+1}\) is reducible. In the paper under review, the author proves the conjecture that the stable rank of \(H^ \infty\) equals 1. This result is a consequence of the following (main) theorem of the paper (Theorem 1). Let \(f,g\in H^ \infty\), \(\| f\|_ \infty\leq 1\), \(\| g\|_ \infty\leq 1\), and let \[ \inf_{| z|<1} \bigl(| f(z)|+ | g(z)|\bigr)=\delta> 0. \] Then there exists a function \(G\in H^ \infty\) such that the function \(\Phi= f+ gG\) is invertible in \(H^ \infty\). Moreover, \(\| G\|_ \infty\leq C\), \(\|\Phi^{- 1}\|_ \infty\leq C\), where the constant \(C\) depends only on \(\delta\).