A product formula for homogeneous characteristic functions (Q6168096)

Denote by \(\mathrm{Aut}(\mathbb{D})\) the Möbius group of all bi-holomorphic self-maps of the unit disc \(\mathbb{D}\). A~projective unitary representation \(\sigma\) of \(\mathrm{Aut}(\mathbb{D})\) on a Hilbert space \(H\) is a Borel function \(\sigma : \mathrm{Aut}(\mathbb{D}) \rightarrow \mathcal{U}(H)\) (where \(\mathcal{U}(H)\) is the topological group of unitary operators on \(H\)), satisfying \(\sigma (\operatorname{id}) = I\), for which there is a function \(m : \mathrm{Aut}(\mathbb{D}) \times \mathrm{Aut}(\mathbb{D}) \rightarrow \mathbb{T}\) satisfying \[ \sigma(\varphi_1 \varphi_2) = m(\varphi_1, \varphi_2) \sigma(\varphi_1) \sigma(\varphi_2) \quad (\varphi_1, \varphi_2 \in \mathrm{Aut}(\mathbb{D})). \] We say that a projective unitary representation \(\sigma \in \mathrm{Aut}(\mathbb{D})\) is associated with a bounded linear operator \(T\) if \(\varphi(T) = \sigma(\varphi)^* T \sigma(\varphi)\) for all \(\varphi \in \mathrm{Aut}(\mathbb{D})\). A bounded linear operator \(T\) on a Hilbert space is said to be homogeneous if \(\varphi(T)\) is unitarily equivalent to \(T\) for all \(\varphi \in \mathrm{Aut}(\mathbb{D})\) [\textit{G. Misra}, Integral Equations Oper. Theory 9, 452--459 (1986; Zbl 0597.47015)]. The celebrated theory of Sz.-Nagy and Foias states that a completely nonunitary contraction can be treated as a compression of a multiplication operator on function Hilbert spaces, allowing a functional model. The model is the result of isometric and unitary dilations. The paper under review connects the above concepts with the model theory of contractions and presents some definite applications. For instance, given a completely nonunitary contraction \(T\) with associated projective unitary representation \(\sigma\), there exists a unique projective unitary representation \(\hat{\sigma}\), extending \(\sigma\), associated with the minimal unitary dilation of \(T\). Moreover, \(\hat{\sigma}\) is admits a neat form: \[ \hat{\sigma} = (\pi \oplus D_1^+) \oplus \sigma \oplus (\pi_* \otimes D_1^-), \] where \(D_1^{\pm}\) are two unitary representations (one holomorphic and the other anti-holomorphic) on the Hardy space over the open unit disc, and \(\pi\) and \(\pi_*\) are representations of \(\mathrm{Aut}(\mathbb{D})\) on the two defect spaces of \(T\) defined explicitly in terms of \(\sigma\). Moreover, associated representations of contractions on Hilbert spaces have been connected with a product formula of the classical Sz.-Nagy-Foias characteristic functions.