arXiv subjects

Chafiq Benhida

Publications and source records attributed to Chafiq Benhida.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

On complex symmetric weighted shifts

Unbounded complex symmetric weighted shifts are studied. Complex symmetric unilateral weighted shifts whose $C^\infty$ vectors contain the image of the canonical orthonormal basis under the conjugation are shown to be decomposable into an orthogonal sum of infinitely many complex selfadjoint truncated weighted shifts, which generalizes a result of S. Zhu and C. G. Li. The bilateral case is discussed as well. Additional results, examples, and open problems are supplied.

math.FA↗

arXiv2024

Toeplitz operators on some function spaces

We reconsider studies of Toeplitz operators on function spaces (the weighted Bergman space, the generalized derivative Hardy space) and the H-Toeplitz operators on the Bergman space. Past studies have considered the presence or absence of hyponormality or questions of contractivity or expansivity; we provide structure theorems for these operators that allow us to recapture, and often considerably improve, these results. In some cases these operators or their adjoints are actually in more restrictive classes, such as subnormal or moment infinitely divisible ($\mathcal{MID}$).

math.FA↗

arXiv2024

Signed representing measures (Berger-type charges) in subnormality and related properties of weighted shifts

In the study of the geometrically regular weighted shifts (GRWS) -- see [5] -- signed power representing measures (which we call Berger-type charges) played an important role. Motivated by their utility in that context, we establish a general theory for Berger-type charges. We give the first result of which we are aware showing that k-hyponormality alone (as opposed to subnormality) yields measure/charge-related information. More precisely, for signed countably atomic measures with a decreasing sequence of atoms we prove that k-hyponormality of the associated shift forces positivity of the densities of the largest k+1 atoms. Further, for certain completely hyperexpansive weighed shifts, we exhibit a Berger-type charge representation, in contrast (but related) to the classical L\'{e}vy-Khinchin representation. We use Berger-type charges to investigate when a non-subnormal GRWS weighted shift may be scaled to become conditionally positive definite, and close with an example indicating a distinction between the study of moment sequences and the study of weighted shifts.

math.FA↗

arXiv2023

$\mathcal{MID}$ and safe quotients for GRWS

Geometrically regular weighted shifts (in short, GRWS) are those with weights $\alpha (N,D)$ given by $\alpha_n (N,D) = \sqrt{\frac{p^n + N}{p^n + D}}$, where $p > 1$ and $(N,D)$ is fixed in the open unit square $ (-1, 1)\times (-1, 1)$. We study here the zone of pairs $ (M,P)$ for which the weight $\frac{\alpha (N,D) }{ \alpha (M,P) }$ gives rise to a moment infinitely divisible ($ \mathcal {MID}$) or a subnormal weighted shift, and deduce immediately the analogous results for product weights $\alpha (N,D) \alpha (M,P)$, instead of quotients. Useful tools introduced for this study are a pair of partial orders on the GRWS.

math.FA↗

arXiv2023

Geometrically regular weighted shifts

We study a general class of weighted shifts whose weights $\alpha$ are given by $\alpha_n = \sqrt{\frac{p^n + N}{p^n + D}}$, where $p > 1$ and $N$ and $D$ are parameters so that $(N,D) \in (-1, 1)\times (-1, 1)$. Some few examples of these shifts have appeared previously, usually as examples in connection with some property related to subnormality. In sectors nicely arranged in the unit square in $(N,D)$, we prove that these geometrically regular weighted shifts exhibit a wide variety of properties: moment infinitely divisible, subnormal, $k$- but not $(k+1)$-hyponormal, or completely hyperexpansive, and with a variety of well-known functions (such as Bernstein functions) interpolating their weights squared or their moment sequences. They provide subshifts of the Bergman shift with geometric, not linear, spacing in the weights which are moment infinitely divisible. This new family of weighted shifts provides a useful addition to the library of shifts with which to explore new definitions and properties.

math.FA↗

arXiv2020

Conditional positive definiteness as a bridge between k-hyponormality and n-contractivity

For sequences $\alpha \equiv \{\alpha_n\}_{n=0}^{\infty}$ of positive real numbers, called weights, we study the weighted shift operators $W_{\alpha}$ having the property of moment infinite divisibility ($\mathcal{MID}$); that is, for any $p > 0$, the Schur power $W_{\alpha}^p$ is subnormal. We first prove that $W_{\alpha}$ is $\mathcal{MID}$ if and only if certain infinite matrices $\log M_{\gamma}(0)$ and $\log M_{\gamma}(1)$ are conditionally positive definite (CPD). Here $\gamma$ is the sequence of moments associated with $\alpha$, $M_{\gamma}(0),M_{\gamma}(1)$ are the canonical Hankel matrices whose positive semi-definiteness determines the subnormality of $W_{\alpha}$, and $\log$ is calculated entry-wise (i.e., in the sense of Schur or Hadamard). Next, we use conditional positive definiteness to establish a new bridge between $k$--hyponormality and $n$--contractivity, which sheds significant new light on how the two well known staircases from hyponormality to subnormality interact. As a consequence, we prove that a contractive weighted shift $W_{\alpha}$ is $\mathcal{MID}$ if and only if for all $p>0$, $M_{\gamma}^p(0)$ and $M_{\gamma}^p(1)$ are CPD.

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arXiv2020

Reducing subspaces of $C_{00}$ contractions

Using the Sz.-Nagy--Foias theory of contractions, we obtain general results about reducibility for a class of completely nonunitary contractions. These are applied to certain truncated Toeplitz operators, previously considered by Li--Yang--Lu and Gu. In particular, a negative answer is given to a conjecture stated by the latter.

math.FA↗

arXiv2020

Moment Infinite Divisibility of Weighted Shifts: Sequence Conditions

We consider weighted shift operators having the property of moment infinite divisibility; that is, for any $p > 0$, the shift is subnormal when every weight (equivalently, every moment) is raised to the $p$-th power. By reconsidering sequence conditions for the weights or moments of the shift, we obtain a new characterization for such shifts, and we prove that such shifts are, under mild conditions, robust under a variety of operations and also rigid in certain senses. In particular, a weighted shift whose weight sequence has a limit is moment infinitely divisible if and only if its Aluthge transform is. We also consider back-step extensions, subshifts, and completions.

math.FA↗

arXiv2020

The Spectral Picture and Joint Spectral Radius of the Generalized Spherical Aluthge Transform

For an arbitrary commuting $d$--tuple $\bT$ of Hilbert space operators, we fully determine the spectral picture of the generalized spherical Aluthge transform $\dbT$ and we prove that the spectral radius of $\bT$ can be calculated from the norms of the iterates of $\dbT$. \ Let $\bm{T} \equiv (T_1,\cdots,T_d)$ be a commuting $d$--tuple of bounded operators acting on an infinite dimensional separable Hilbert space, let $P:=\sqrt{T_1^*T_1+\cdots+T_d^*T_d}$, and let $$ \left( \begin{array}{c} T_1 \\ \vdots \\ T_d \end{array} \right) = \left( \begin{array}{c} V_1 \\ \vdots \\ V_d \end{array} \right) P $$ be the canonical polar decomposition, with $(V_1,\cdots,V_d)$ a (joint) partial isometry and $$ \bigcap_{i=1}^d \ker T_i=\bigcap_{i=1}^d \ker V_i=\ker P. $$ \medskip For $0 \le t \le 1$, we define the generalized spherical Aluthge transform of $\bm{T}$ by $$ \Delta_t(\bm{T}):=(P^t V_1P^{1-t}, \cdots, P^t V_dP^{1-t}). $$ We also let $\left\|\bm{T}\right\|_2:=\left\|P\right\|$. \ We first determine the spectral picture of $\Delta_t(\bm{T})$ in terms of the spectral picture of $\bm{T}$; in particular, we prove that, for any $0 \le t \le 1$, $\Delta_t(\bm{T})$ and $\bm{T}$ have the same Taylor spectrum, the same Taylor essential spectrum, the same Fredholm index, and the same Harte spectrum. \ We then study the joint spectral radius $r(\bm{T})$, and prove that $r(\bm{T})=\lim_n\left\|\Delta_t^{(n)}(\bm{T})\right\|_2 \,\, (0 < t < 1)$, where $\Delta_t^{(n)}$ denotes the $n$--th iterate of $\Delta_t$. \ For $d=t=1$, we give an example where the above formula fails.

math.FA↗

arXiv2019

Joint spectra of spherical Aluthge transforms of commuting n-tuples of Hilbert space operators

Let $\mathbf{T} \equiv (T_1,\cdots,T_n)$ be a commuting $n$-tuple of operators on a Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$, and let $T_i \equiv V_i P \; (1 \le i \le n)$ be its canonical joint polar decomposition (i.e., $P:=\sqrt{T_1^*T_1+\cdots+T_n^*T_n}$, $(V_1,\cdots,V_n)$ a joint partial isometry, and $\bigcap_{i=1}^n \ker T_i = \bigcap_{i=1}^n \ker V_i = \ker P)$. \ The spherical Aluthge transform of $\mathbf{T}$ is the (necessarily commuting) $n$-tuple $\hat{\mathbf{T}}:=(\sqrt{P}V_1\sqrt{P},\cdots,\sqrt{P}V_n\sqrt{P})$. \ We prove that $\sigma_T(\hat{\mathbf{T}})=\sigma_T(\mathbf{T})$, where $\sigma_T$ denotes Taylor spectrum. \ We do this in two stages: away from the origin we use tools and techniques from criss-cross commutativity; at the origin we show that the left invertibility of $\mathbf{T}$ or $\hat{\mathbf{T}}$ implies the invertibility of $P$. \ As a consequence, we can readily extend our main result to other spectral systems that rely on the Koszul complex for their definitions.

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arXiv2018

Aluthge transforms of unbounded weighted composition operators in $L^2$-spaces

We describe the Aluthge transform of an unbounded weighted composition operator acting in an $L^2$-space. We show that its closure is also a weighted composition operator with the same symbol and a modified weight function. We investigate its dense definiteness. We characterize $p$-hyponormality of unbounded weighted composition operators and provide results on how it is affected by the Aluthge transformation. We show that the only fixed points of the Aluthge transformation on weighted composition operators are quasinormal ones.

math.FA↗

arXiv2017

Moment infinitely divisible weighted shifts

We say that a weighted shift $W_\alpha$ with (positive) weight sequence $\alpha: \alpha_0, \alpha_1, \ldots$ is {\it moment infinitely divisible} (MID) if, for every $t > 0$, the shift with weight sequence $\alpha^t: \alpha_0^t, \alpha_1^t, \ldots$ is subnormal. \ Assume that $W_{\alpha}$ is a contraction, i.e., $0 < \alpha_i \le 1$ for all $i \ge 0$. \ We show that such a shift $W_\alpha$ is MID if and only if the sequence $\alpha$ is log completely alternating. \ This enables the recapture or improvement of some previous results proved rather differently. \ We derive in particular new conditions sufficient for subnormality of a weighted shift, and each example contains implicitly an example or family of infinitely divisible Hankel matrices, many of which appear to be new.

math.FA↗

arXiv2016

Skew-symmetric operators and reflexivity

In contrast to the subspaces of all $C$-symmetric operators, we show that the subspaces of all skew-C symmetric operators are reflexive and even hyperreflexive with the constant $κ(\C^s)\leqslant 3$.

math.FA↗

arXiv2013

Contractively included subspaces of Pick spaces

Pick spaces are a class of reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces that generalize the classical Hardy space and the Drury--Arveson reproducing kernel spaces. We give characterizations of certain contractively included subspaces of Pick spaces. These generalize the characterization of closed invariant subspaces of Trent and McCullough, as well as results for the Drury--Arveson space obtained by Ball, Bolotnikov and Fang.

math.FA↗

arXiv2010

Numerical ranges of $C_0(N)$ contractions

A conjecture of Halmos proved by Choi and Li states that the closure of the numerical range of a contraction on a Hilbert space is the intersection of the closure of the numerical ranges of all its unitary dilations. We show that for $C_0(N)$ contractions one can restrict the intersection to a smaller family of dilations. This generalizes a finite dimensional result of Gau and Wu.

math.FA↗

arXiv2006

Some automorphism invariance properties for multicontractions

In the theory of row contractions on a Hilbert space, as initiated by Popescu, two important objects are the Poisson kernel and the characteristic function. We determine their behaviour with respect to the action of the group of unitarily implemented automorphisms of the algebra generated by creation operators on the Fock space. The case of noncommutative varieties, introduced recently by Popescu, is also discussed.

math.FA↗

arXiv2005

Characteristic functions for multicontractions and automorphisms of the unit ball

A \emph{multicontraction} on a Hilbert space $\HH$ is an $n$-tuple of operators $T=(T_1,...,T_n)$ acting on $\HH$, such that $\sum_{i=1}^n T_i T_i^*\le \1_\HH$. We obtain some results related to the characteristic function of a commuting multicontraction, most notably discussing its behaviour with respect to the action of the analytic automorphisms of the unit ball.

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