Characteristic functions for multicontractions and automorphisms of the unit ball (Q2464689)

A commuting multicontraction is an \(n\)-tuple \(T=(T_1, \dots, T_n)\) of commuting operators acting on a Hilbert space \(\mathcal H\) such that \(\sum_{i=1}^nT_iT_i^*\leq 1_{\mathcal H}\). The paper under review investigates the characteristic function \(\theta_T\) of \(T\) introduced by \textit{T.\,Bhattacharyya, J.\,Eschmeier} and \textit{J.\,Sarkar} in [Integral Equations Oper.\ Theory 53, No.\,1, 23--32 (2005; Zbl 1099.47008)] as \[ \theta_T(z)=-T+D_{T^*}(1_{\mathcal H}-{\mathbf z}T^*)^{-1}{\mathbf z}D_T|_{{\mathcal D}_T}:{\mathcal D}_T\to {\mathcal D}_{T^*},\quad \mathbf z\in{\mathbb B}^n \text{ (the unit ball of \({\mathbb C}^n\))}, \] where \({\mathbf z}=(z_11_{\mathcal H}, \dots, z_n1_{\mathcal H})\) and, for a contraction \(C\) between Hilbert spaces \({\mathcal E}_1\) and \({\mathcal E}_2\), \(D_C=(1_{{\mathcal E}_1}-C^*C)^{1/2}\) is the defect operator and \({\mathcal D}_C=\overline{D_C{\mathcal E}_1}\) is the defect space (of \(C\)). By analogy with the noncommutative case, some special classes of commuting multicontractions are introduced by means of the operator \(A_\infty=A_\infty(T)\) defined on \(\mathcal H\) as the strong limit of the decreasing sequence of positive operators \(\rho^k_T(1_{\mathcal H})\) (\(\rho_T\) is the completely positive map given on \({\mathcal L}({\mathcal H})\) by \(\rho_T(X)=\sum_{i=1}^nT_iXT_i^*\)); namely, \(T\) is of class \(C_0\) (of class \(C_1\), completely noncoisometric (c.n.c.))\ if \(A_\infty=0\) (\(\ker A_\infty=\{0\}, \;\ker (1_{\mathcal H}-A_\infty)=\{0\}\), respectively). The following characterizations of a c.n.c.\ commuting multicontraction are given in terms of the characteristic function: (1) \(T\) is of class \(C_0\) iff \(\theta_T\) is inner (i.e., \(M_{\theta_T}\) is a partial isometry); (2) \(T\) is of class \(C_1\) iff \(\theta_T\) is outer (i.e., \(M_{\theta_T}\) has dense range); (3) \(T\) is unitarily equivalent to the multishift \(S\) iff \(\theta_T\equiv 0\). A formula which includes the characteristic function in a more general context of fractional transforms [see also \textit{Ch.\,Benhida} and \textit{D.\,Timotin}, Integral Equations Oper.\ Theory 36, No.\,3, 253--268 (2000; Zbl 0953.47012)] is used to study several properties (such as \(C_0, C_1\), c.n.c., multishift, spherical, minimal dilation) of a commuting multicontraction \(T\) that are inherited by the action (defined by analytic functional calculus) of the involutive automorphisms of \({\mathbb B}^n\) which are defined [cf.\ \textit{W.\,Rudin}, ``Function theory in the unit ball of \(\mathbb C^ n\)'' (Grundlehren 241; New York, Heidelberg, Berlin:\ Springer--Verlag) (1980; Zbl 0495.32001)] by \[ \phi_\lambda(z)=\lambda-{{s_\lambda}\over{1-\langle z, \lambda\rangle}}(z-(1-s_\lambda)P_\lambda z), \] where \(\lambda\in{\mathbb B}^n\), \(s_\lambda=(1-| \lambda| ^2)^{1/2}\), and \(P_\lambda\) is the projection onto the subspace \([\lambda]\) generated by \(\lambda\).\ It is also shown that the characteristic function of \(\phi_\lambda(T)\) coincides with \(\theta_T(\phi_\lambda(z))\).\ This relation generalizes the well-known formula for the characteristic function of a Möbius transform of a single contraction [cf.\ \textit{B.\,Sz.-Nagy} and \textit{C.\,Foiaş}, ``Analyse harmonique des opérateurs de l'espace de Hilbert'' (Budapest:\ Akadémiai Kiadó; Paris:\ Masson et Cie) (1967; Zbl 0157.43201), VI.1.3]. The authors finally deduce that the same properties can be obtained if \(\phi_\lambda\) is replaced by an arbitrary automorphism of \({\mathbb B}^n\).