Which 2-hyponormal 2-variable weighted shifts are subnormal? (Q947688)

Let \(\ell(\mathbb Z^2_+)\) be the Hilbert space of square-summable double-indexed complex sequences, and let \(\{\mathbf e_{\mathbf k}\}_{\mathbf k=(k_1,k_2)\in\mathbb Z^2_+}\) be the canonical basis of \(\ell(\mathbb Z_+^2)\). For two double-indexed positive bounded sequences \((\alpha_{\mathbf k})_{\mathbf k=(k_1,k_2)\in\mathbb Z^2_+}\) and \((\beta_{\mathbf k})_{\mathbf k=(k_1,k_2)\in\mathbb Z^2_+}\), define the associated \(2\)-variable weighted shift \(\mathbf T=(T_1,T_2)\) on \(\ell(\mathbb Z_+^2)\) by \[ T_1\mathbf e_{\mathbf k}=\alpha_{\mathbf k}\mathbf e_{(k_1+1,k_2)}\,,\quad T_2\mathbf e_{\mathbf k}=\beta_{\mathbf k}\mathbf e_{(k_1,k_2+1)},~{\mathbf k}=(k_1,k_2)\in\mathbb{Z}_+^2. \] The \(2\)-variable weighted shift \({\mathbf T}\) is said to be horizontally (resp., vertically) flat if \(\alpha_{\mathbf k}=\alpha_{(1,1)}\) (resp., \(\beta_{\mathbf k}=\beta_{(1,1)}\)) for all \({\mathbf k}=(k_1,k_2)\in\mathbb{Z}_+^2\) . It is well-known that a \(2\)-hyponormal \(1\)-variable unilateral weighted shift with two equal weights must be flat, and therefore subnormal [see \textit{R.\,E.\thinspace Curto}, Integral Equations Oper.\ Theory 13, No.\,1, 49--66 (1990; Zbl 0702.47011)]. By contrast, a \(2\)-hyponormal \(2\)-variable weighted shift which is both horizontally flat and vertically flat need not be subnormal. In the paper under review, the authors consider the class \({\mathcal J}\) of all \(2\)-variable weighted shifts \(\mathbf T=(T_1,T_2)\) contained in \(\mathfrak{H}_0\), the class of all commuting pairs of subnormal operators, for which \(\alpha_{(k_1,0)}=\alpha_{(k_1+1,0)}\) and \(\beta_{(0,k_2)}=\beta_{(0,k_2+1)}\) for some \(k_1,k_2\geq1\), and show that the class \({\mathcal J}\) is small enough to ensure the equivalence between \(2\)-hyponormality and subnormality but large enough to separate hyponormality from subnormality.