Implementation of derivations and invariant subspaces (Q1812249)

A derivation on an algebra \({\mathcal A}\) is a map \(\delta :{\mathcal A}\to {\mathcal A}\) for which \(\delta(AB)=A\delta(B)+\delta(A)B\) for all \(A\) and \(B\) in \({\mathcal A}\). The derivation \(\delta\) is inner if there exists an element \(T\) in \({\mathcal A}\) such that \(\delta(A)=AT-TA\), for all \(A\) in \({\mathcal A}\). A fundamental question is whether or not every derivation on a given algebra is inner. This is equivalent to asking whether or not the first Hochschild cohomology group of the algebra is trivial. To add a layer of generality, let \(\pi\) and \(\rho\) be representations of the algebra \({\mathcal A}\) on the Banach spaces \(X\) and \(Y\), respectively. Then a linear map \(\delta\,:{\mathcal A} \to B(Y,X)\) is a \((\pi,\rho)\)-derivation if \(\delta(ab)=\pi(a)\delta(b)+ \delta(a)\rho(b)\) for every \(a\) and \(b\) in \({\mathcal A}\). A densely defined operator \(F\) from \(Y\) to \(X\) implements \(\delta\) if its domain \(D(F)\) is invariant under \(\rho(a)\) and \(\delta(a)| _{D(F)} = (\pi(a)F-F\rho(a))| _{D(F)}\) for every \(a\in{\mathcal A}\). The fundamental problem is to determine which \((\pi,\rho)\)-derivations are implemented by some densely defined operator. Section 2 of this worthwhile paper is devoted to proving (Theorem 2.0) that, if \(\pi\) and \(\rho\) are irreducible representations of \({\mathcal A}\) on the reflexive Banach spaces \(X\) and \(Y\), and if the norm closure of the operator algebra \(\{\pi(a)+\rho(a)\,:\,a\in {\mathcal A}\}\) contains a nonzero compact operator, then every bimodule-closable \((\pi,\rho)\)-derivation of \({\mathcal A}\) is implemented by a densely defined operator. The hypotheses guarantee that at least one of \(\pi\) and \(\rho\) has a finite-rank operator in its range (an \({\mathcal F}\)-representation), so this concept arises in many of the intermediate results of the section. A corollary result (Corollary 2.13) asserts that, if \(\pi\) and \(\rho\) are \({\mathcal K}\)-representations of \({\mathcal A}\) (meaning that each has a compact operator in its range) on the reflexive Banach spaces \(X\) and \(Y\), then every bimodule-closable \((\pi,\rho)\)-derivation of \({\mathcal A}\) is implemented by a closed operator. Section 4 of the paper, where the results on derivations are applied to the structure of operator algebras having only one nontrivial invariant subspace, is of special interest. The starting point is that, in the finite-dimensional case, if an operator algebra \({\mathcal B}\) has an invariant subspace \(L\), then, for an appropriate choice of basis, the elements of \({\mathcal B}\) look like \(\left(\begin{smallmatrix}*&C\\ 0&*\end{smallmatrix} \right)\). Thus, \({\mathcal B}\) contains the set of all \`\` corner operators'' \(\{C\in B(X): CL=\{0\},\, CX\subseteq L\}\). In a more general setting, suppose that the invariant subspace \(L\) has a closed complement \(M\) in \(X\) and let \(Q\) denote the projection of \(M\) along \(L\). Then \(\pi:A\to A| L\) and \(\rho:A\to QA| M\) are representations of \({\mathcal B}\) on \(L\) and \(M\), respectively. The map \(\delta:A\to (1-Q)A| M\) is then a \((\pi,\,\rho)\)-derivation of \({\mathcal B}\). Among the main results here is that, if \({\mathcal B}\) is a weakly-closed subalgebra of \(B(X)\) that has only one nontrivial invariant subspace \(L\) and contains a nonzero compact operator that is not a \`\` corner operator'', then \({\mathcal B}\) contains all of the \`\` corner operators''. (This is part of Theorem 4.5.) Another result (Theorem 4.9) shows that a norm-closed algebra of compact operators on Hilbert space with only one invariant subspace can be decomposed as the sum of compact \`\` block-diagonal'' operators and compact \`\` corner operators''.