Compact linear combinations of composition operators induced by linear fractional maps (Q2516471)

Let \(\Phi:\mathbb B_n\to \mathbb B_m\) be a holomorphic map from the unit ball in \(\mathbb C^n\) into the unit ball of \(\mathbb C^m\). It was shown that the composition operator \(C_\Phi(f)= f\circ \Phi\) is not necessarily bounded on Hardy spaces by \textit{C. C. Cowen} and \textit{B. D. MacCluer} [Composition operators on spaces of analytic functions. Studies in Advanced Mathematics. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press (1995; Zbl 0873.47017)] or weighted Bergman spaces by \textit{H. Koo} and \textit{W. Smith} [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 329, No. 1, 617--633 (2007; Zbl 1115.32004)] for dimension \(n>1\). However, for linear fractional maps \(\Phi(z)=\frac{Az+b}{\langle z,c\rangle +d}\), where \(A:\mathbb C^n\to \mathbb C^m\) is a linear operator, \(b\in \mathbb C^m\), \(c\in \mathbb C^n\) and \(d\in \mathbb C\), it was shown by \textit{C. C. Cowen} and \textit{B. D. MacCluer} [Acta Sci. Math. 66, No. 1--2, 351--376 (2000; Zbl 0970.47011)] that \(C_\Phi\) are bounded on \(H^2(\mathbb B_m)\) and weighted Bergman \(A^2_\alpha(\mathbb B_m)\) for all \(m\in \mathbb N\). This result is extended by the authors to get that \(C_\Phi\) is bounded from \(A^2_\alpha(\mathbb B_m)\) into \(A^2_\beta(\mathbb B_n)\) whenever \(\alpha, \beta\geq -1\) and \(m+\alpha=n+\beta\), where \(A^2_\alpha(\mathbb B_m)\) stands for the space of holomorphic functions on the ball \(\mathbb B_m\) such that \(\int_{\mathbb B_m} |f(z)|^2 (1-|z|^2)^\alpha dv_m(z)<\infty\). As expected, the compactness result turns out to be equivalent to \(\|\Phi\|_\infty<1\). Their main result concerns also difference of composition operators, actually they show that, if \(\Phi^1,\dots, \Phi^N\) are linear fractional maps and \(\lambda_1,\dots, \lambda_N\) are complex numbers, then the compactness of \(\sum_{k=1}^N\lambda_k C_{\Phi^k}\) from \(A^2_\alpha(\mathbb B_m)\) into \(A^2_\beta(\mathbb B_n)\) for some \(\alpha, \beta\geq -1\) and \(m+\alpha=n+\beta\) ensures that, for each \(k=1, \dots, N\), either \(\|\Phi^{k}\|_\infty<1\) or \(\lambda_j=0\).