Based on a Wold decomposition for families of partial isometries and projections of Cuntz-Krieger-Toeplitz-type, we extend several fundamental theorems from the case of single vertex graphs to the general case of countable directed graphs with no sinks. We prove a Szego-type factorization theorem for CKT families, which leads to information on the structure of the unit ball in free semigroupoid algebras, and show that joint similarity implies joint unitary equivalence for such families. For each graph we prove a generalization of von Neumann's inequality which applies to row contractions of operators on Hilbert space which are related to the graph in a natural way. This yields a functional calculus determined by quiver algebras and free semigroupoid algebras. We establish a generalization of Coburn's theorem for the C*-algebra of a CKT family, and prove a universality theorem for C*-algebras generated by these families. In both cases, the C*-algebras generated by quiver algebras play the universal role.
Słociński gave sufficient conditions for commuting isometries to have a nice Wold-like decomposition. In this note we provide analogous results for row-isometries satisfying certain commutation relations. Other than known results for doubly-commuting row-isometries, we provide sufficient condtions for a Wold decomposition based on the Lebesgue decomposition of the row-isometries.
Three canonical decompositions concerning commuting pair of isometries, power partial isometries, and contractions are reassessed. They have already been proved in von Neumann algebras. In the corresponding proofs, both norm and weak operator topologies are heavily involved. Ignoring topological structures, we give an algebraic approach to obtain them in the larger category of Baer $*$-rings.
Absolutely continuous commuting row contractions admit a weak-$*$ continuous functional calculus. Building on recent work describing the first and second dual spaces of the closure of the polynomial multipliers on the Drury-Arveson space, we give a complete characterization of these commuting row contractions in measure theoretic terms. We also establish that completely non-unitary row contractions are necessarily absolutely continuous, in direct parallel with the case of a single contraction. Finally, we consider refinements of this question for row contractions that are annihilated by a give…
It is known that pure row contractions with one-dimensional defect spaces can be classified up to unitary equivalence by compressions of the standard $d$-shift acting on the full Fock space. Upon settling for a softer relation than unitary equivalence, we relax the defect condition and simply require the row contraction to admit a cyclic vector. We show that cyclic pure row contractions can be "transformed" (in a precise technical sense) into compressions of the standard $d$-shift. Cyclic decompositions of the underlying Hilbert spaces are the natural tool to extend this fact to higher multipl…
If $T= \big[ T_1 ... T_n\big]$ is a row contraction with commuting entries, and the Arveson dilation is $\tilde T= \big[ \tilde T_1 ... \tilde T_n\big]$, then any operator $X$ commuting with each $T_i$ dilates to an operator $Z$ of the same norm which commutes with each $\tilde T_i$.
Given a row contraction of operators on Hilbert space and a family of projections on the space which stabilize the operators, we show there is a unique minimal joint dilation to a row contraction of partial isometries which satisfy natural relations. For a fixed row contraction the set of all dilations forms a partially ordered set with a largest and smallest element. A key technical device in our analysis is a connection with directed graphs. We use a Wold Decomposition for partial isometries to describe the models for these dilations, and discuss how the basic properties of a dilation depend…
We establish the existence and uniqueness of finite free resolutions - and their attendant Betti numbers - for graded commuting d-tuples of Hilbert space operators. Our approach is based on the notion of free cover of a (perhaps noncommutative) row contraction. Free covers provide a flexible replacement for minimal dilations that is better suited for higher-dimensional operator theory. For example, every graded d-contraction that is finitely multi-cyclic has a unique free cover of finite type - whose kernel is a Hilbert module inheriting the same properties. This contrasts sharply with what ca…
We develop a dilation theory for row contractions subject to constraints determined by sets of noncommutative polynomials. Under natural conditions on the constraints, we have uniqueness for the minimal dilation. A characteristic function is associated with any (constrained) row contraction. For pure constrained row contraction, we show that the characteristic function is a complete unitary invariant and provide a model. We also show that the curvature invariant and Euler characteristic asssociated with a Hilbert module generated by an arbitrary (resp. commuting) row contraction can be express…
We review how some multianalytic inner functions of the Beurling type theorem are associated to row contractions following works of G.Popescu. Motivated by a result on weak Markov dilations, we define a notion of characteristic function for ergodic and coisometric row contractions with a one-dimensional invariant subspace for the adjoints. Our characteristic function is a complete unitary invariant for such tuples. Thereafter we extend the analysis of characteristic functions to contractive liftings of row contractions. We apply our theory to completely positive maps and explore applications t…
We study similarity classes of commuting row contractions annihilated by what we call higher order vanishing ideals of interpolating sequences. Our main result exhibits a Jordan-type direct sum decomposition for these row contractions. We illustrate how the family of ideals to which our theorem applies is very rich, especially in several variables. We also give two applications of the main result. First, we obtain a purely operator theoretic characterization of interpolating sequences. Second, we classify certain classes of cyclic commuting row contractions up to quasi-similarity in terms of t…
We show that the constrained characteristic function is a complete unitary invariant for J-constrained completely non-coisometric (c.n.c.) row contractions, where J is a WOT-closed two-sided ideal of the noncommutative analytic Toeplitz algebra. We provide a model for this class of row contractions in terms of the constrained characteristic functions. In particular, we obtain a model theory for q-commuting c.n.c. row contractions.
The theory of characteristic functions for row contractions is used to determine the group $Aut(B(H)^n_1)$ of all free holomorphic automorphisms of the unit ball of $B(H)^n$. We show that the noncommutative Poisson transform commutes with the action of the automorphism group $Aut(B(H)^n_1)$. This leads to a characterization of the unitarily implemented automorphisms of the Cuntz-Toeplitz algebra $C^*(S_1,..., S_n)$, which leave invariant the noncommutative disc algebra $\cA_n$. This result provides new insight into Voiculescu's group of automorphisms of the Cuntz-Toeplitz algebra and reveals n…
Based on a careful analysis of functional models for contractive multi-analytic operators we establish a one-to-one correspondence between unitary equivalence classes of minimal contractive liftings of a row contraction and injective symbols of contractive multi-analytic operators. This allows an effective construction and classification of all such liftings with given defects. Popescu's theory of characteristic functions of completely non-coisometric row contractions is obtained as a special case satisfying a Szegö condition. In another special case of single contractions and defects equal to…
We say that a contractive Hilbert space operator is universal if there is a natural surjection from its generated C*-algebra to the C*-algebra generated by any other contraction. A universal contraction may be irreducible or a direct sum of (even nilpotent) matrices; we sharpen the latter fact and its proof in several ways, including von Neumann-type inequalities for noncommutative *-polynomials. We also record properties of the unique C*-algebra generated by a universal contraction, and we show that it can be used similarly to C*(F_2) in various Kirchberg-like reformulations of Connes' Embedd…
We introduce characteristic functions for certain contractive liftings of row contractions. These are multi-analytic operators which classify the liftings up to unitary equivalence and provide a kind of functional model. The most important cases are subisometric and coisometric liftings. We also identify the most general setting which we call reduced liftings. We derive properties of these new characteristic functions and discuss the relation to Popescu's definition for completely non-coisometric row contractions. Finally we apply our theory to completely positive maps and prove a one-to-one c…
We present some general theorems about operator algebras that are algebras of functions on sets, including theories of local algebras, residually finite dimensional operator algebras and algebras that can be represented as the scalar multipliers of a vector-valued reproducing kernel Hilbert space. We use these to further develop a quantized function theory for various domains that extends and unifies Agler's theory of commuting contractions and the Arveson-Drury-Popescu theory of commuting row contractions. We obtain analogous factorization theorems, prove that the algebras that we obtain are …
The goal of the present paper is to introduce and study noncommutative Hardy spaces associated with the regular $Λ$-polyball, to develop a functional calculus on noncommutative Hardy spaces for the completely non-coisometric (c.n.c.) $k$-tuples in ${\bf B}_Λ(H)$, and to study the characteristic functions and the associated multi-analytic models for the c.n.c. elements in the regular $Λ$-polyball. In addition, we show that the characteristic function is a complete unitary invariant for the class of c.n.c. $k$-tuples in ${\bf B}_Λ(H)$. These results extend the corresponding classical results of …
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.
We study tensor products and nuclearity-related properties of the operator system $\mathcal S_n$ generated by the Cuntz isometries. By using the nuclearity of the Cuntz algebra, we can show that $\mathcal{S}_n$ is $C^*$-nuclear, and this implies a dual row contraction version of Ando's theorem characterizing operators of numerical radius 1. On the other hand, without using the nuclearity of the Cuntz algebra, we are still able to show directly this Ando type property of dual row contractions and conclude that $\mathcal{S}_n$ is $C^*$-nuclear, which yields a new proof of the nuclearity of the C…
This is an exposition of our work on the canonical models of representations of Hardy algebras associated with $W^*$-correspondences. It generalizes the model theory of Sz.-Nagy and Foias and the work of Popescu on models of row contractions. We also emphasize the concept of duality for $W^*$-correspondences and its relation to Morita equivalence of correspondenses.
An analysis is given of $*$-representations of rank 2 single vertex graphs. We develop dilation theory for the non-selfadjoint algebras $\A_θ$ and $\A_u$ which are associated with the commutation relation permutation $θ$ of a 2 graph and, more generally, with commutation relations determined by a unitary matrix $u$ in $M_m(\bC) \otimes M_n(\bC)$. We show that a defect free row contractive representation has a unique minimal dilation to a $*$-representation and we provide a new simpler proof of Solel's row isometric dilation of two $u$-commuting row contractions. Furthermore it is shown that th…
We give a characterization of the contraction ratio of bounded linear maps in Banach space with respect to Hopf's oscillation seminorm, which is the infinitesimal distance associated to Hilbert's projective metric, in terms of the extreme points of a certain abstract "simplex". The formula is then applied to abstract Markov operators defined on arbitrary cones, which extend the row stochastic matrices acting on the standard positive cone and the completely positive unital maps acting on the cone of positive semidefinite matrices. When applying our characterization to a stochastic matrix, we re…
Let $I \subset \mathbb C[z_1,...,z_d]$ be a radical homogeneous ideal, and let $\mathcal A_I$ be the norm-closed non-selfadjoint algebra generated by the compressions of the $d$-shift on Drury-Arveson space $H^2_d$ to the co-invariant subspace $H^2_d \ominus I$. Then $\mathcal A_I$ is the universal operator algebra for commuting row contractions subject to the relations in $I$. We ask under which conditions are there topological isomorphisms between two such algebras $\mathcal A_I$ and $\mathcal A_J$? We provide a positive answer to a conjecture of Davidson, Ramsey and Shalit: $\mathcal A_I$ a…
Using a scheme involving a lifting of a row contraction we introduce a toy model of repeated interactions between quantum systems. In this model there is an outgoing Cuntz scattering system involving two wandering subspaces. We associate to this model an input/output linear system which leads to a transfer function. This transfer function is a multi-analytic operator, and we show that it is inner if we assume that the system is observable. Finally it is established that transfer functions coincide with characteristic functions of associated liftings.
We solve a class of lifting problems involving approximate polynomial relations (soft polynomial relations). Various associated C*-algebras are therefore projective. The technical lemma we need is a new manifestation of Akemann and Pedersen's discovery of the norm adjusting power of quasi-central approximate units. A projective C*-algebra is the analog of an absolute retract. Thus we can say that various noncommutative semialgebraic sets turn out to be absolute retracts. In particular we show a noncommutative absolute retract results from the intersection of the approximate locus of a homogene…
We study operator algebras arising from monomial ideals in the ring of polynomials in noncommuting variables, through the apparatus of subproduct systems and C*-correspondences. We provide a full comparison amongst the related operator algebras. For our analysis we isolate a partially defined dynamical system, to which we refer as the {\em quantised dynamics} of the monomial ideal. In addition we revisit several previously considered constructions. These include Matsumoto's subshift C*-algebras, as well as the tensor and the Pimsner algebras associated with dynamical systems or graphs. We sort…
