Decomposability, past and present (Q6139352)

The most direct Banach space analogue of the spectral theory of normal operators is Dunford's theory of scalar-type spectral operators. Such operators possess a wealth of invariant subspaces appearing as the range of a spectral measure, and a rich functional calculus. In many situations however, an operator may possess a good collection of invariant subspaces without the existence of an associated spectral measure. This led Ciprian Foiaş to develop the theory of decomposable operators, known to many through his 1968 monograph with \textit{I. Colojoară} [Theory of generalized spectral operators. New York, NY: Gordon \& Breach Science Publishers (1968; Zbl 0189.44201)]. In the current paper the author discusses the main ideas and traces the 60 year history of this class of operators.