Positive elements in function algebras
Let \(G\) be a domain in the complex plane, symmetric with respect to the real axis, and consider the Banach algebras \(H^{\infty} (G)\) and \(\mathcal{A}(G)\). The first one consists of all bounded holomorphic functions on \(G\) and the second one is the set of functions in \(H^{\infty}(G)\) that extend continuously to~\(\overline{G}\). Provided with the involution given by \(f^*(z)=\overline{f(\overline{z})}\), these two algebras become Banach \(*\)-algebras, although they are not \(C^*\)-algebras. The goal of this paper is to characterize the positive elements of these algebras. A holomorphic function on \(G\) is said to be positive if \(f|_{G\cap\mathbb{R}}\geq 0\). We recall that in the case of \(C^*\)-algebras an element \(f\) is positive if and only if there is another element \(g\) such that \(f=g^*g\). It is clear that this implies \(f|_{G\cap \mathbb{R}}\geq 0\). The main result here states that for the considered \(*\)-algebras the converse is true under some restrictions on the domain \(G\). More precisely, the author proves that assuming the symmetric domain \(G\) is bounded by a finite number of disjoint Jordan curves, if \(f\) is a positive function in \(H^{\infty}(G)\) or \(\mathcal{A}(G)\), then there is \(g\) in the same algebra as \(f\) with \(f=g^*g\). The proof is given successively for the case that \(G\) is the unit disc, an annulus and a general domain with the stated hypothesis. When \(G\) is the unit disc, one uses standard theory of factorization for functions in the Hardy spaces \(H^p\). In the case of the annulus, one needs the factorization theory in \(H^p\) as given in [\textit{D. Sarason}, Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 56, 78 p. (1965; Zbl 0127.07002)]. When \(G\) is a symmetric domain bounded by finitely many disjoint Jordan curves, one combines the previous techniques with the Riemann and the Carathéodory mapping theorems.
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