Isometric representations of some quotients of \(H^\infty\) of an annulus (Q5937381)

For fixed \(q\in (0,1)\), let \(\mathbb{A} := \{z\in\mathbb{C} : q < |z|< 1\}\). For a finite subset \(E\) of \(\mathbb{A}\), let \({\mathcal I}_E\) be the ideal of functions in \(H^\infty(\mathbb{A})\) that vanish on \(E\), and put \({\mathcal A}_E := H^\infty(\mathbb{A})/{\mathcal I}_E\). Given \(w_1>,\dots,w_n\in \mathbb{D} := \{z\in \mathbb{C} : |x|< 1\}\), the theorem of Abrahamse and its refinement due to Federov and Vinnikov characterize the existence of an analytic function \(f: \mathbb{A}\to \mathbb{D}\) with \(f(x_j) = w_j\) in terms of the associated Pick matrix. This means that \({\mathcal A}_E\) has a simple isometric representation. The main result of this article, Theorem 0.6, is that there is no such representation which is completely isometric. Consequently, the result of Federov and Vinnikov does not hold when \(w_j\) are allowed to be matrices, although is is known that Abrahamse's theorem admits such a generalization. The proof of Theorem 0.6. is based on the fact that the adjoints of the restriction of the bundle shifts over \(\mathbb{A}\) to a certain finite dimensional Hilbert space constructed from the generalized Szegö kernels is an extremal element of the Agler family of operators \(T\) such that \((T - x_1)\cdot \dots \cdot (T - x_n) = 0\) and \(\mathbb{A}\) is a spectral set for \(T\). This is based on some matrix generalization of the Trisecant identity.