\(L^1\)-factorization for \(C_{00}\)-contractions with isometric functional calculus (Q1270225)

Let \({\mathcal H}\) be a separable infinite-dimensional complex Hilbert space, and let \(T\) be a (linear) contraction on \({\mathcal H}\). Then \(T\) has a canonical decomposition as a direct sum of a unitary operator and a completely nonunitary one. We recall that \(T\) is said to be absolutely continuous if the spectral measure of the unitary part in the canonical decomposition of \(T\) is absolutely continuous with respect to Lebesgue measure. If \(T\) is absolutely continuous, and if \(x\), \(y\) are fixed vectors from \({\mathcal H}\), one defines the function \(x^Ty\) from \(L^1(\mathbb{T})\) (where \(\mathbb{T}\) is the unit circle) via its Fourier coefficients: \(x^Ty(n)= (T^{*n}x,y)\) if \(n\geq 0\), and \(x^Ty(n)= (T^{-n}x,y)\) if \(n<0\). The main problem in this framework is to solve the equation \(f= x^Ty\) for a given \(f\in L^1(\mathbb{T})\). For an operator \(T\) having an isometric \(H^\infty\)-functional calculus, solutions modulo the space \(H^1_0\) (consisting of all functions \(f\) from \(L^1\) whose Fourier coefficients \(\widehat f(n)= 0\) for all \(n\leq 0\)) were previously given independently by H. Bercovici and B. Chevreau. Using known factorization techniques, as well as a vanishing result of their own, the authors find a Borel set \(\sigma_T\) with the property that for every \(f\in L^1(\sigma_T)\) there exist vectors \(x\), \(y\) such that \(f= x^Ty\mid\sigma_T\). In particular, if \(T\) has an isometric \(H^\infty\)-functional calculus and both sequences \((T^n)\) and \((T^{*n})\) are strongly convergent to zero (i.e., \(T\) is of class \(C_{00}\)), the authors obtain a simple proof of the representation of the form \(f= x^Ty\) for each \(f\in L^1(\mathbb{T})\). Moreover, for any strictly positive lower-semicontinuous function \(\phi\in L^1(\mathbb{T})\) one has a representation of the form \(\phi= x^Tx\) for some \(x\in{\mathcal H}\). The authors exhibit examples showing that this is the best possible result for a \(T\) in the class \(C_{00}\), and which have an isometric \(H^\infty\)-functional calculus.