Quasi-similarity of contractions having a \(2\times 2\) singular characteristic function (Q931007)

For \(j= 1,2\), let \(T_j\) be a completely nonunitary contraction on a complex Hilbert spate with a 2-by-2 characteristic function \(\Theta_j\) satisfying \(\text{det\,}\Theta_j= 0\). The present paper gives necessary and sufficient conditions in terms of \(\Theta_j\) for \(T_1\) and \(T_2\) to be quasi-similar to each other. More precisely, it is known that the singular \(\Theta_j\) can be written uniquely as \(\Theta_j= w_j m_j\left[\begin{smallmatrix} a_j\\ b_j\end{smallmatrix}\right][c_j d_j]\), where \(w_j\), \(m_j\), \(a_j\), \(b_j\), \(c_j\) and \(d_j\) are \(H^\infty\) satisfying (1) \(w_j\) is an outer function with \(|w_j|\leq 1\) a.e., (2) \(m_j\) is inner, (3) \(|a_j|^2+ |b_j|^2= |c_j|^2+ |d_j|^2= 1\) a.e., and (4) \(a_j\) and \(b_j\) (resp., \(c_j\) and \(d_j\)) have no nontrivial common inner divisor. The main theorem says that \(T_1\) is quasi-similar to \(T_2\) if and only if (a) \(m_1= m_2\equiv m\) a.e., (b) the sets \(\{e^{i\theta}: \Theta\) real, \(|w_j(e^{i\theta})|< 1\}\), \(j= 1,2\), differ by a set of Lebesgue measure zero, (c) there exist 2-by-2 matrices \(\Lambda\) and \(\Phi\) with entries in the Smirnov class \(N^+= \{f/g: f\), \(g\) in \(H^\infty\), \(g\) outer\} satisfying \(\Lambda\left[\begin{smallmatrix} a_2\\ b_2\end{smallmatrix}\right]= \left[\begin{smallmatrix} a_1\\ b_1\end{smallmatrix}\right]\) and \(\Phi\left[\begin{smallmatrix} d_1\\ -c_1\end{smallmatrix}\right]= \left[\begin{smallmatrix} d_2\\ -c_2\end{smallmatrix}\right]\) such that the inner parts of \(\text{det\,}\Lambda\) and \(\text{det\,}\Phi\) coincide and have no nontrivial common inner divisor with \(m\), and (d) the analogous condition as (c) with the roles of \(\left[\begin{smallmatrix} a_1\\ b_1\end{smallmatrix}\right]\) and \(\left[\begin{smallmatrix} a_2\\ b_2\end{smallmatrix}\right]\) (resp., \(\left[\begin{smallmatrix} d_1\\ -c_1\end{smallmatrix}\right]\) and \(\left[\begin{smallmatrix} d_2\\ -c_2\end{smallmatrix}\right])\) switched. The proof makes use of the coordinate-free function model developed by Nikolski and Vasyunin. The authors conjecture that conditions (c) and (d) can be replaced by (c\('\)) \(N^+\{a_1,b_1\}= N^+\{a_2, b_2\}\), and (d\('\)) \(N^+\{c_1, d_1\}= N^+\{c_2, d_2\}\), where, for two functions \(a\) and \(b\) in \(H^\infty\), \(N^+\{a,b\}\) denotes the ideal \(\{ua+ vb: u,v\in N^+\}\) generated by \(a\) and \(b\).