Isometries of nest algebras (Q908504)

Given a nest of projections \({\mathcal L}\) in a complex separable Hilbert space H, we denote by \(Alg {\mathcal L}:=\{A\in B(H):\quad EAE=AE\quad for\quad all\quad E\in {\mathcal L}\}\) the nest algebra of \({\mathcal L}\). The main result of the paper says that any surjective linear isometry \(\phi\) : Alg \({\mathcal L}\to Alg {\mathcal L}\) can be decomposed as \(\phi =\phi_ 1\circ \phi_ 2\circ \phi_ 3\), where (a) \(\phi_ 1(A)=UA\), U a fixed unitary operator and \(U,U^*\in Alg {\mathcal L}.\) (b) \(\phi_ 3(A)=W^*AW\), W a fixed unitary operator and \(W,W^*\in Alg {\mathcal L}.\) (c) either \(\phi_ 2(A)=V^*AV\), V unitary and \(V^*{\mathcal L}V={\mathcal L}\), or \(\phi_ 2(A)=V^*JA^*JV\), V unitary, J conjugation, \(V^*{\mathcal L}V={\mathcal L}^{\perp}\), and \(JE=EJ\) for each \(E\in {\mathcal L}.\) In a note added in proof the authors observe that J. Arazy and B. Solel have independently arrived at the same theorem.