Tridiagonal kernels and left-invertible operators with applications to Aluthge transforms (Q6100295)

Summary: Given scalars \(a_n (\neq 0)\) and \(b_n\), \(n \geq 0\), the tridiagonal kernel or band kernel with bandwidth 1 is the positive definite kernel \(k\) on the open unit disc \(\mathbb{D}\) defined by \[ k (z, w) = \sum_{n = 0}^{\infty} \big((a_n + b_n z) z^n\big) \big((\bar{a}_n + \bar{b}_n \bar{w}) \bar{w}^n\big) \quad (z, w \in \mathbb{D}). \] This defines a reproducing kernel Hilbert space \(\mathcal{H}_k\) (known as tridiag onal space) of analytic functions on \(\mathbb{D}\) with \(\{(a_n + b_n z) z^n\}_{n=0}^{\infty}\) as an orthonormal basis. We consider shift operators \(M_z\) on \(\mathcal{H}_k\) and prove that \(M_z\) is left-invertible if and only if \(\{|a_n / a_{n + 1}|\}_{n \geq 0}\) is bounded away from zero. We find that, unlike the case of weighted shifts, Shimorin models for left-invertible operators fail to bring to the foreground the tridiagonal structure of shifts. In fact, the tridiagonal structure of a kernel \(k\), as above, is preserved under Shimorin models if and only if \(b_0 = 0\) or that \(M_z\) is a weighted shift. We prove concrete classification results concerning invariance of tridiagonality of kernels, Shimorin models, and positive operators. We also develop a comp utational approach to Aluthge transforms of shifts. Curiously, in contrast to direct kernel space techniques, often Shimorin models fail to yield tridiagonal Aluthge transforms of shifts defined on tridiagonal spaces.