Essential normality of homogeneous submodules (Q628688)

Let \(H(\mathbb{B})\) be the \(n\)-shift space (also known as the symmetric Fock space or Drury-Arveson space) which is defined as the Hilbert space of analytic functions on the open unit ball \(\mathbb{B}\) in \(\mathbb{C}^n\) determined by the reproducing kernel \(\mathbb{B}\times\mathbb{B}\ni(z,w)\mapsto\textstyle{\frac{1}{1-\langle z,w\rangle}}\in\mathbb{C}\). Since the multiplication operators \(M_{z_i}:H(\mathbb{B})\to H(\mathbb{B})\) by the coordinate functions are bounded, \(H(\mathbb{B})\) can be regarded as a Hilbert module (of dimension \(n\)) over the polynomial ring \(\mathbb{C}[z]:=\mathbb{C}[z_1,\dots,z_n]\). \textit{W. Arveson} [J. Funct. Anal. 189, No. 1, 53--79 (2002; Zbl 1038.47003)] raised the question whether every quotient of \(H(\mathbb{B})\) of finite multiplicity \(m\) by a submodule generated by finitely many \(\mathbb{C}^m\)-valued homogeneous polynomials is \(q\)-essentially normal (i.e., the cross-commutators \([M_{z_i},M_{z_j}^*]=M_{z_i}M_{z_j}^*-M_{z_j}^*M_{z_i},\;1\leq i,j\leq n\), given by the module structure belong to the Schatten class \(\mathcal{C}^q,\;q\in[1,\infty]\); the notation \(\mathcal{C}^\infty\) is used for the ideal of compact operators) for \(q>n\). He also gave partial solutions to this problem in [J. Oper. Theory 54, No. 1, 101--117 (2005; Zbl 1107.47006)] (positive answer for submodules generated by monomials; this result has been extended later by \textit{R. G. Douglas} [J. Oper. Theory 55, No. 1, 117--133 (2006; Zbl 1108.47030)] to other analytic Hilbert modules) and [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 359, No. 12, 6027--6055 (2007; Zbl 1130.46035)] (the general case can be reduced to submodules generated by linear \(\mathbb{C}^m\)-valued polynomials). \textit{K.-Y. Guo} and \textit{K. Wang} showed in [Math. Ann. 340, No. 4, 907--934 (2008; Zbl 1148.47005)] that this conjecture is true in dimensions \(\leq 3\) and for all principal submodules in arbitrary dimension. In the paper under review, the author considers the scalar-valued case. The starting point is the observation that, for a given submodule \(M\subset H(\mathbb{B})\) generated by a finite family \(p=(p_1,\dots,p_r)\) of homogeneous polynomials and for \(j=1,\dots,n\), the inequality \[ \delta^*_{\partial_jp}(N+1)^{-1}P_{M^\bot}\delta_{\partial_jp}\leq c\,\delta_p^*\delta_p, \] which holds for a certain constant \(c>0\), is equivalent to the existence of a bounded linear operator \(A_j\) on \(H(\mathbb{B})\) satisfying \[ [M_{z_j}^*,P_M]=(N+1)^{-\frac{1}{2}}A_j. \] Here, \(N\) is the number operator on \(H(\mathbb{B})\) (i.e., the unbounded selfadjoint operator generating the unitary group \(\{U(t)\}_{t\in\mathbb{R}}\) defined by \((U(t)f)(z)=f(e^{it}z),\;z\in\mathbb{B},\;f\in H(\mathbb{B})\)), \(\partial_jp:=(\partial_jp_1,\dots,\partial_jp_r),\;j=1,\dots,n\), and \(\delta_p\) is the operator \(H(\mathbb{B})^r\ni (h_i)\mapsto p_1h_1+\dots+p_rh_r\in H(\mathbb{B})\). The last formula leads to a corresponding factorization of the form \[ [S_j^*,S_i]=(N+1)^{-1}B_{ij},\quad 1\leq i,j\leq n, \] with suitable bounded operators \(B_{ij}\in\mathcal{L}(M^\bot)\), for the cross-commutators of the quotient tuple \(S=P_{M^\bot}M_z|_{M^\bot}\) induced by \(M_z=(M_{z_1},\dots,M_{z_n})\) on \(M^\bot\). In particular, it is shown that \(S\) is \(q\)-essentially normal for \(q\) bigger than the dimension of the analytic set \(\{z:\;0<\dim(M^\bot/\sum_{i=1}^n(z_i-S_i)M^\bot)<\infty\}\) at \(z=0\). This technique applies for all classes of homogeneous submodules of \(H(\mathbb{B})\) which are known to be essentially normal and provides a direct and unified approach to stronger results.