Majorization and a Schur-Horn theorem for positive compact operators, the nonzero kernel case (Q2513276)

The aim of this paper is to study the extension of the Schur-Horn theorem from finite matrix theory to positive compact operators on an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. Recall that the classical Schur-Horn theorem characterizes the vectors that can arise as the diagonal of a given \(n\times n\) matrix (by means of conjugation with a unitary matrix) in terms of its eigenvalues. Namely, if \((\alpha_i^*)\) denotes the decreasing rearrangement of a sequence \((\alpha_i)\), then \((d_i)_{i=1}^n\) is a diagonal of a matrix with eigenvalue sequence \((\lambda_i)_{i=1}^n\) if and only if \[ \sum_{i=1}^m d_i^*\leq\sum_{i=1}^m\lambda_i^*\,\text{ for }\,1\leq m\leq n,\, \text{ and }\,\sum_{i=1}^n d_i=\sum_{i=1}^n\lambda_i. \] Complementing results of \textit{V. Kaftal} and the second author [J. Funct. Anal. 259, No. 12, 3115--3162 (2010; Zbl 1202.15035)], the authors characterize the diagonals of a positive compact operator on a separable infinite-dimensional Hilbert space with infinite-dimensional kernel. In the case of finite-dimensional kernel, they also provide a necessary condition and another sufficient (yet not necessary) condition for a sequence to be a diagonal. The reader is referred to the paper for the background and many interesting results.