Stability relations for Hilbert space operators and a problem of Kaplansky

arXiv2306.11202MaRDI QIDQ6440799FDOQ6440799

Authors: L. W. Marcoux, H. Radjavi, Sascha Troscheit, Yuan Hang Zhang 

Publication date: 19 June 2023

Abstract: In his monograph on Infinite Abelian Groups, I. Kaplansky raised three ``test problems" concerning their structure and multiplicity. As noted by Azoff, these problems make sense for any category admitting a direct sum operation. Here, we are interested in the operator theoretic version of Kaplansky's second problem which asks: if $A$ and $B$ are operators on an infinite-dimensional, separable Hilbert space and $AoplusA$ is equivalent to $BoplusB$ in some (precise) sense, is $A$ equivalent to $B$? We examine this problem under a strengthening of the hypothesis, where a ``primitive" square root $J_2(A)$ of $AoplusA$ is assumed to be equivalent to the corresponding square root $J_2(B)$ of $BoplusB$. When ``equivalence" refers to similarity of operators and $A$ is a compact operator, we deduce from this stronger hypothesis that $A$ and $B$ are similar. We exhibit a counterexample (due to J. Bell) of this phenomenon in the setting of unital rings. Also, we exhibit an uncountable family ${U_{a}lpha}_{alphainOmega}$ of unitary operators, no two of which are unitarily equivalent, such that each $U_{a}lpha$ is unitarily equivalent to $J_n(U_{a}lpha)$, a ``primitive" $n^{th}$ root of $U_{a}lphaoplus{U}_{a}lphaopluscdotsoplus{U}_{a}lpha$.

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Measurable and nonmeasurable functions, sequences of measurable functions, modes of convergence (28A20) Canonical models for contractions and nonselfadjoint linear operators (47A45) Structure theory of linear operators (47A65)

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