Dilation theory and systems of simultaneous equations in the predual of an operator algebra. I (Q794246)

Let H denote a Hilbert space, and let M denote a subalgebra of L(H), closed in the ultraweak topology. For x,\(y\in H\), the functional [\(x\otimes y]\) defined by \([x\otimes y](A)=(Ax,y),\) \(A\in M\), is ultraweakly continuous on M. We say that the algebra M has property \(({\mathbb{A}}_ n)\), where n is a cardinal number, \(1\leq n\leq \aleph_ 0,\) if, given an array \(\{\phi_{ij}:\quad 0\leq i,j<n\}\) of ultraweakly continuous functionals on M, there exist sequences \(\{x_ i:\quad 0\leq i<n\}\) and \(\{y_ j:\quad 0\leq j<n\}\) such that \([x_ i\otimes y_ j]=\phi_{ij}, 0\leq i,j<n\). In the present paper we study the properties \(({\mathbb{A}}_ n)\) under the additional assumption that the algebra M is isometrically isomorphic and \(weak^*\) homeomorphic to the algebra \(H^{\infty}\) of all bounded analytic functions in the unit disc. The most important feature of our treatment is a powerful dilation theory which shows that algebras \(M\simeq H^{\infty}\) which have property \(({\mathbb{A}}_{\aleph_ 0})\) possess an unexpectedly large lattice of invariant subspaces. It is also known that there are many algebras that do have property \(({\mathbb{A}}_{\aleph_ 0})\). An important case is that of the so-called \((B\subset P)_{\theta}\) operators [cf. a forthcoming paper by the authors: ''Factoring trace-class operator-valued functions with applications to the class \({\mathbb{A}}_{\aleph_ 0}''\), J. Oper. Theory]. The study of the properties \(({\mathbb{A}}_ n)\) originated in the invariant subspace problem for operators T such that \(\| T\| \leq 1\) and \(\sigma(T)\supset \{\lambda:\quad | \lambda | =1\}.\) For further progress on the lines of this paper see: \textit{C. Apostol, H. Bercovici, C. Foias} and \textit{C. Percy}, ''Invariant subspaces, dilation theory, and the structure of the predual of a dual algebra'', J. Funct. Anal., to appear; \textit{H. Bercovici, B. Cheuvreau, C. Foias} and \textit{C. Pearcy},part II of this paper, Math. Z., to appear. A unified account of these topics will appear in a book ''Dual algebras, invariant subspaces, and dilation theory'', CBMS Regional Conf. Ser. in Math. (1985).