On negative inertia of Pick matrices associated with generalized Schur functions (Q860215)

Let \(\text{sq}_-M\) be the number of negative eigenvalues of a hermitian matrix \(M\). A meromorphic function \(f\) on the open unit disk belongs to the Schur class \({\mathcal S}_\kappa\) if its Pick matrices \(P_n(f;z_1,\dots,z_n)= [\frac{1-f(z_i)\overline{f(z_j)}}{1-z_i\overline{z_j}}]_{j,i=1}^n\) satisfy \(\text{sq}_-P_n(f;z_1,\dots,z_n)\leq\kappa\) for every choice of \(n\geq1\) and \(z_1, \dots, z_n\) in the domain of analyticity \(\rho(f)\) of \(f\), and if furthermore \(\text{sq}_-P_n(f;z_1,\dots,z_n)=\kappa\) for some choice of \(n\) and \(z_1, \dots, z_n\). The function \(f\) belongs to \({\mathcal S}_0\) if and only if its modulus is bounded by \(1\) [\textit{G.~Pick}, Math. Ann. 77, 7--23 (1916; JFM 45.0642.01)]; \(f\) belongs to \({\mathcal S}_\kappa\) if and only if \(f\) has the form \(B^{-1}S\), where \(S\in{\mathcal S}_0\) and \(B\) is a Blaschke product of degree \(\kappa\) that shares no zero with \(S\) [\textit{M.~G. Krein} and \textit{H.~Langer}, Hilbert Space Operators Operator Algebras, Colloquia math. Soc. János Bolyai 5, 353-399 (1972; Zbl 0273.47018)]. The authors characterise those functions \(f\) that admit an \(n_0\) such that \(\text{sq}_-P_n(f;\allowbreak z_1,\dots,\allowbreak z_n)=\kappa\) for every choice of \(n\geq n_0\) and \(z_1, \dots, z_n\in\rho(f)\) as the functions with form \(B^{-1}\widetilde B\), where \(\widetilde B\) is a Blaschke product and \(B\) is a Blaschke product of degree \(\kappa\) that shares no zero with \(\widetilde B\). In fact, if \(f\) has not this form, it gives rise to arbitrarily large positive definite Pick matrices. The authors prove furthermore that if \(f\) belongs to \({\mathcal S}_\kappa\), then for every infinite set \(\Omega\) whose closure is in the open unit disk, there is an \(n_0\) such that \(\text{sq}_-P_n(f;z_1,\dots,z_n)=\kappa\) for every choice of \(n\geq n_0\) and \(z_1, \dots, z_n\in\Omega\cap\rho(f)\).