Connections between additive cocycles and Bishop operators (Q1815233)

Let \(\mathbb{T}\) be the circle group, and let \(\alpha\in\mathbb{R}\) be irrational. Define \(B_\alpha: L^2(\mathbb{T})\to L^2(\mathbb{T})\) by \((B_\alpha f)(x)= xf(\{x+ \alpha\})\) (where \(\{y\}\) is the fractional part of \(y\in\mathbb{R}\)), which is known as a Bishop operator. In 1974, A. M. Davie proved that a Bishop operator has closed non-trivial invariant subspaces if \(\alpha\) is not a Liouville number. It is still not known if all Bishop operators have closed non-trivial invariant subspaces. More recently (in 1990), G. W. MacDonald, who generalized Davie's work, asked if operators of a certain type commute with Bishop operators where the irrational is a Liouville number, from which one could conclude that all Bishop operators have closed non-trivial invariant subspaces. In this paper, using familiar techniques from the theory additive cocycles, the author answers MacDonald's question, showing, in particular, that this approach to the invariant subspace problem for Bishop operators does not work. The author also presents some interesting connections between additive cocycles and Bishop operators.