Closed ideals in the bidisc algebra (Q916974)

This paper is an attempt to give a characterization of the closed ideals in the polydisk algebra \(A({\mathbb{D}}^ n)\) of all functions continuous on the closed polydisk \({\bar {\mathbb{D}}}^ n\) and holomorphic in \({\mathbb{D}}^ n\). The case \(n=1\) has been completely solved by Beurling and \textit{W. Rudin} [Canad. Math. J. 9, 426-434 (1957; Zbl 0080.31703)]. Using duality theory and methods not unlike that the \textit{T. P. Srinivasan} and \textit{J. K. Wang} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 16, 49-52 (1965; Zbl 0143.15504)], the author is able to reduce the closed ideal problem mentioned above to the problem of characterizing the weak-*-closed ideals in \(H^{\infty}({\mathbb{D}}^ n)\). The main tool for the proof is a result of Brian Cole on the decomposition of Borel measures on \(T^ n\), which annihilate \(A({\mathbb{D}}^ n)\).