A setting for generalized orthogonalization (Q376899)

For a fixed Hilbert space \({\mathcal H}\), a closed subspace \({\mathcal S}\) is called compatible with a positive (semidefinite bounded linear) operator \(A\) if there exists a (bounded linear) projection \(E\) on \({\mathcal H}\) with image \({\mathcal S}\) such that \(AE=E^*A\). Let \({\mathcal Z}=\{ (A,E)\in L({\mathcal H})^+\times {\mathcal Q}:\, AE=E^*A\}\), where \(L({\mathcal H})^+\) is the cone of positive operators and \({\mathcal Q}\) is the subset of all (bounded linear) projections acting on \({\mathcal H}\) and let \({\mathcal Z}^\circ\) be the set of all \((A,E)\in{\mathcal Z}\) such that \(A\in L({\mathcal H})^+\) is invertible. The authors describe in several ways the set \({\mathcal Z}\) and its natural projections onto \(L({\mathcal H})^+\) and \({\mathcal Q}\). The fibers \({\mathcal Z}_A\) of the first projection and the fibers \({\mathcal Z}^E\) of the second projection as well as some intersections of the type \({\mathcal Z}_{A_1}\cap {\mathcal Z}_{A_2}\) and \({\mathcal Z}^{E_1}\cap {\mathcal Z}^{E_2}\) are described. The authors also investigate some topological facts about \({\mathcal Z}\) and \({\mathcal Z}^\circ\) and determine the connected components of \({\mathcal Z}\) and \({\mathcal Z}^\circ\).