Metric properties of projections in semi-Hilbertian spaces (Q733617)

The authors extend several results on norms of projections on a Hilbert space \(H\) to the seminorm \(\|\xi\|_A^2 = \langle A\xi, \xi\rangle\,\,(\xi \in H)\) defined by a positive semidefinite operator \(A\) acting on \(H\) and the operator norm \(\|T\|_A= \sup\{\|T\xi\|_A: \|\xi\|_A=1\}\). The results are interesting and nontrivial. In fact, it may happen that \(\|T\|_A=\infty\) for some bounded linear operator \(T\) and there is no obvious candidate for an adjoint operation defined by \(A\). To achieve their results, the authors introduce a certain relationship between positive operators and closed subspaces. More precisely, a positive semidefinite operator \(A\) on \(H\) and a closed subspace \(S\) of \(H\) are called compatible if there exists an idempotent \(Q\), whose image is \(S\) such that \(AQ\) is Hermitian (or symmetric). Hence \(\langle Q\xi,\eta\rangle_A=\langle\xi,Q\eta\rangle_A\) for all \(\xi, \eta \in H\), where \(\langle\xi,\eta\rangle_A=\langle A\xi,\eta\rangle\), so one obtains the useful relation \(H = S+(AS)^\bot\).