Some quadratically hyponormal weighted shifts (Q2480718)

Let \(\ell^2(\mathbb{Z}^+)\) be the usual Hilbert space of all square-summable complex sequences, and let \(\alpha:\alpha_0,\alpha_1,\alpha_2,\alpha_3,\dots\) be a positive bounded weight sequence. The corresponding unilateral weighted shift is defined by \[ W_\alpha((x_k)_{k\geq0}):=(0,\alpha_0x_0,\alpha_1x_1,\alpha_2x_2,\dots),\quad (x_k)_{k\geq0}\in \ell^2(\mathbb{Z}^+). \] In [Pac.\ J.\ Math.\ 17, 367--379 (1966; Zbl 0189.43902)], \textit{J.\,G.\thinspace Stampfli} showed that for \(0<a<b<c\), there exists a unique subnormal weighted shift of minimal norm whose corresponding weight sequence, denoted by \((\sqrt{a},\sqrt{b},\sqrt{c})^\wedge\), has \(\sqrt{a},\sqrt{b},\sqrt{c}\) as first three weights. This shift has norm exactly one if and only if \(0<a<b<1\) and \(c=\frac{a(b^2-b+1)-b}{(a-1)b}\). In the paper under review, the authors show that the set of all nonnegative real numbers \(x\) for which the weighted shift \(W_{\alpha(x)}\) with the corresponding weight sequence \[ \alpha(x):\sqrt{x},\sqrt{x},\sqrt{3/4},\sqrt{4/5},\dots \] is quadratically hyponormal is a closed interval \([\delta_1,\delta_2]\), where \(\delta_1\approx .1673\) and \(\delta_2\approx .7439\) with errors less that \(1/1000\), respectively. They also characterize the full range of \(x\) yielding the positive quadratic hyponormality of the weighted shift \(W_{\widehat{\alpha}(x)}\) with the corresponding weight \(\widehat{\alpha}(x):\sqrt{x},~\sqrt{x},~(\sqrt{a},~\sqrt{b},~\sqrt{c})^\wedge\), where \(0<x<a<b<1\) and \(c=\frac{a(b^2-b+1)-b}{(a-1)b}\). Some of the calculations were obtained through computer experiments using the software tool \texttt{Mathematica}.