A dual geometric theory for bundle shifts (Q444880)

Using tools from complex geometry, \textit{M. J. Cowen} and \textit{R. G. Douglas} introduced in [Acta Math. 141, 187--261 (1978; Zbl 0427.47016)] an important wide class of operators (called in the literature Cowen-Douglas operators) associated to a planar domain \(\Omega\) and a positive integer \(n\). The theory of such an operator \(T\) is developed in connection with a certain attached holomorphic vector bundle \(E(T)\) over \(\Omega\) of rank \(n\) whose fibres (\(\ker(T-z),\;z\in\Omega\)) have dimension \(n\) and span a dense subspace. The aim of the paper under review is to formulate the operator theory of bundle shifts and to relate it to the Cowen-Douglas operators. A bundle shift \(T_E\) associated to a flat unitary bundle \(E\) over \(\Omega\) is defined on the Hardy space \(H^2_E(\Omega)\) (of holomorphic sections \(f\) of \(E\) such that \(\|f(z)\|^2_{E_z}\) has a harmonic majorant) by the usual formula \(f\mapsto zf\). In order to avoid the conjugate domain \(\Omega^*\) (of \(\Omega\)) the bundle \(E(T_E^*)\) over \(\Omega^*\) associated to \(T_E^*\) (which, according to \textit{M. B. Abrahamse} and \textit{R. G. Douglas} [Adv. Math. 19, 106--148 (1976; Zbl 0321.47019)], is a Cowen-Douglas operator) is replaced by a new bundle \(E(T_E)\) defined on \(\Omega\) by the family \(\{\ker(T_E^*-\bar{z})\}_{z\in\Omega}\). After some geometric preliminaries (on Hermitian vector bundles, canonical duality and equivalence between these objects), the paper starts with a few consequences of the well-known Grauert's theorem which show that the bundles \(E\) and \(E(T_E)\) are both analytically trivial. Some results on the operator theory of \(T_E\) via bundle maps on \(E\) are presented. To be more precise, characterizations are given for the commutant, double commutant, respectively the reducing subspaces of \(T_E\). In the following part, two dual pairings between \(E\) and \(E(T_E)\) are introduced. With respect to these dual pairings, the author describes the reducing sub-bundles of \(E(T_E)\) as annihilators of reducing sub-bundles of \(E\). Complementing certain results from [the author, \textit{R. G. Douglas} and \textit{K. Guo}, J. Funct. Anal. 260, No. 7, 1925--1943 (2011; Zbl 1230.47036)], the author then studies the connection between \(E\) and \(E(T_E)\) in terms of holonomy groups. The paper ends with two remarks. The first is an operator-theoretic interpretation of the fact that \(E(T_E)\) is not the canonical dual of the flat unitary bundle \(E\). The second remark is a suggestion for some further developments of the subject, in connection with a result of [Abrahamse and Douglas, loc. cit.] which states that flat unitary bundles are in one-to-one correspondence to pure subnormal operators with spectrum contained in \(\bar{\Omega}\) and normal spectrum in \(\partial\Omega\).