A Wold-type decomposition for commuting isometric pairs (Q4813640)

The paper deals with a Wold-type decomposition for an arbitrary pair of commuting isometries \(V=(V_1,V_2)\) on a Hilbert space \(\mathcal H\). To formulate a first result, we say that a pair of operators \(S=(S_1,S_2)\) on \(\mathcal H\) is a weak bi-shift if \[ S_1|_{\bigcap_{i\geq 0}\ker S^*_2S^i_1},\quad S_2|_{\bigcap_{j\geq0}\ker S^*_1S^j_2}, {\text{ and }} \;S_1,S_2 {\text{ are shifts.}} \] Theorem 1. Let \(V=(V_1,V_2)\) be a bi-isometry on \(\mathcal H\). There is a unique orthogonal decomposition of the form \[ \mathcal H=\mathcal H_{uu}\oplus\mathcal H_{us}\oplus\mathcal H_{su}\oplus\mathcal H_{ws} \tag{*} \] into reducing subspaces for \(V\) such that \(V|_{\mathcal H_{uu}}\) is bi-unitary, \(V|_{\mathcal H_{us}}\) is unitary-shift, \(V|_{\mathcal H_{su}}\) is shift-unitary, and \(V|_{\mathcal H_{ws}}\) is a weak bi-shift. Moreover, \(\mathcal H_{uu}=\bigcap_{n\geq 0}(V_1V_2)^n\mathcal H,\) \[ \mathcal H_{us}=\bigoplus_{n\geq 0}V^n_2\left (\bigcap_{m\geq 0}V^m_1\left(\bigcap_{i\geq 0}\ker V^*_2V^i_1\right)\right), \] and \[ \mathcal H_{su}=\bigoplus_{m\geq 0}V^m_1\left (\bigcap_{n\geq 0}V^n_1\left(\bigcap_{j\geq 0}\ker V^*_1V^j_2\right)\right). \] This theorem is generalization of a decomposition obtained by \textit{M. Słociński} for a pair of double commuting isometries in [Ann. Polon. Math. 37, 255--262 (1980; Zbl 0485.47018)]. For a bi-isometry \(V=(V_1,V_2)\) on \(\mathcal H\), let \(U=(U_1,U_2)\) be its minimal unitary extension defined on a suitable Hilbert space \(\mathcal K\supset\mathcal H\). The bi-isometry \(V\) is said to be a modified bi-shift if \(V\) is completely non-unitary and \(U^*|_{\mathcal K\ominus\mathcal H}\) is a bi-shift. The next result says that a weak bi-shift part in the decomposition \((\ast)\) contains bi-shift and modified bi-shift maximal parts. Theorem 2. Let \(V\) be a bi-isometry on \(\mathcal H\). There is a unique orthogonal decomposition of the form \[ \mathcal H=\mathcal H_{uu}\oplus\mathcal H_{us}\oplus\mathcal H_{su}\oplus\mathcal H_{s}\oplus \mathcal H_{m}\oplus\mathcal H_{e} \] into subspaces of \(\mathcal H\) reducing \(V\) and maximal on which \(V\) is, respectively, bi-unitary, unitary-shift, shift-unitary, bi-shift or modified bi-shift.