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Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Closability of differential operators and subjordan operators

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

A (bounded linear) operator J on a Hilbert space is said to be jordan if J = S + N where S = S* and N² = 0. The operator T is subjordan if T is the restriction of a jordan operator to an invariant subspace, and pure subjordan if no nonzero restriction of T to an invariant subspace is jordan. The main operator theoretic result of the paper is that a compact subset of the real line is the spectrum of some pure subjordan operator if and only if it is the closure of its interior. The result depends on understanding when the operator D = θ + d/dx : L²(μ) —> L²(v) is closable. Here θ is an L²(μ) function, μ and v are two finite regular Borel measures with compact support on the real line, and the domain of D is taken to be the polynomials. Approximation questions more general than what is needed for the operator theory result are also discussed. Specifically, an explicit characterization of the closure of the graph of D for a large class of (θ, μ, v) is obtained, and the closure of the graph of D in other topologies is analyzed. More general results concerning spectral synthesis in a certain class of Banach algebras and extensions to the complex domain are also indicated.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Ph. D.
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Mathematics
Department dc:contributor.department
Mathematics
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Year dc:date.issued
1989

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Fanney, Thomas R.
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Ball, Joseph A.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Hannsgen, Kenneth B.
  • Thomson, James E.
  • McCoy, Robert A.
  • Olin, Robert F.

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en_US

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/10919/54356
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/54356

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Fanney, Thomas R.. Closability of differential operators and subjordan operators. doctoral thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/54356