Approximation numbers of composition operators on the H2H^2 space of Dirichlet series

By a theorem of Gordon and Hedenmalm, $\varphi$ generates a bounded composition operator on the Hilbert space $\mathscr{H}^2$ of Dirichlet series $\sum_n b_n n^{-s}$ with square-summable coefficients $b_n$ if and only if $\varphi(s)=c_0 s+\psi(s)$, where $c_0$ is a nonnegative integer and $\psi$ a Dirichlet series with the following mapping properties: $\psi$ maps the right half-plane into the half-plane $\operatorname{Re} s >1/2$ if $c_0=0$ and is either identically zero or maps the right half-plane into itself if $c_0$ is positive. It is shown that the $n$th approximation numbers of bounded composition operators on $\mathscr{H}^2$ are bounded below by a constant times $r^n$ for some $0<r<1$ when $c_0=0$ and bounded below by a constant times $n^{-A}$ for some $A>0$ when $c_0$ is positive. Both results are best possible. The case when $c_0=0$, $\psi$ is bounded and smooth up to the boundary of the right half-plane, and $\sup \operatorname{Re} \psi=1/2$, is discussed in depth; it includes examples of non-compact operators as well as operators belonging to all Schatten classes $S_p$. For $\varphi(s)=c_1+\sum_{j=1}^d c_{q_j} q_j^{-s}$ with $q_j$ independent integers, it is shown that the $n$th approximation number behaves as $n^{-(d-1)/2}$, possibly up to a factor $(\log n)^{(d-1)/2}$. Estimates rely mainly on a general Hilbert space method involving finite linear combinations of reproducing kernels. A key role is played by a recently developed interpolation method for $\mathscr{H}^2$ using estimates of solutions of the $\bar{\partial}$ equation. Finally, by a transference principle from $H^2$ of the unit disc, explicit examples of compact composition operators with approximation numbers decaying at essentially any sub-exponential rate can be displayed.Comment: Final version, to appear in Journal of Functional Analysi

Approximation numbers of composition operators on HpH^p spaces of Dirichlet series

By a theorem of Bayart, $\varphi$ generates a bounded composition operator on the Hardy space \Hpof Dirichlet series ($1\le p<\infty$) only if $\varphi(s)=c_0 s+\psi(s)$, where $c_0$ is a nonnegative integer and $\psi$ a Dirichlet series with the following mapping properties: $\psi$ maps the right half-plane into the half-plane \Real s >1/2 if $c_0=0$ and is either identically zero or maps the right half-plane into itself if $c_0$ is positive. It is shown that the $n$th approximation numbers of bounded composition operators on \Hp are bounded below by a constant times $r^n$ for some $0<r<1$ when $c_0=0$ and bounded below by a constant times $n^{-A}$ for some $A>0$ when $c_0$ is positive. Both results are best possible. Estimates rely on a combination of soft tools from Banach space theory ($s$-numbers, type and cotype of Banach spaces, Weyl inequalities, and Schauder bases) and a certain interpolation method for \Ht, developed in an earlier paper, using estimates of solutions of the $\overline{\partial}$ equation. A transference principle from $H^p$ of the unit disc is discussed, leading to explicit examples of compact composition operators on \Ho with approximation numbers decaying at a variety of sub-exponential rates. Finally, a new Littlewood--Paley formula is established, yielding a sufficient condition for a composition operator on \Hp to be compact.Comment: This is the final version of the paper, to appear in Annales de l'Institut Fourie

On approximation numbers of composition operators

We show that the approximation numbers of a compact composition operator on the weighted Bergman spaces $\mathfrak{B}_\alpha$ of the unit disk can tend to 0 arbitrarily slowly, but that they never tend quickly to 0: they grow at least exponentially, and this speed of convergence is only obtained for symbols which do not approach the unit circle. We also give an upper bounds and explicit an example

Estimates for approximation numbers of some classes of composition operators on the Hardy space

We give estimates for the approximation numbers of composition operators on $H^2$, in terms of some modulus of continuity. For symbols whose image is contained in a polygon, we get that these approximation numbers are dominated by \e^{- c \sqrt n}. When the symbol is continuous on the closed unit disk and has a domain touching the boundary non-tangentially at a finite number of points, with a good behavior at the boundary around those points, we can improve this upper estimate. A lower estimate is given when this symbol has a good radial behavior at some point. As an application we get that, for the cusp map, the approximation numbers are equivalent, up to constants, to \e^{- c \, n / \log n}, very near to the minimal value \e^{- c \, n}. We also see the limitations of our methods. To finish, we improve a result of O. El-Fallah, K. Kellay, M. Shabankhah and H. Youssfi, in showing that for every compact set $K$ of the unit circle \T with Lebesgue measure 0, there exists a compact composition operator $C_\phi \colon H^2 \to H^2$, which is in all Schatten classes, and such that $\phi = 1$ on $K$ and $|\phi | < 1$ outside $K$

A spectral radius type formula for approximation numbers of composition operators

For approximation numbers $a_n (C_\phi)$ of composition operators $C_\phi$ on weighted analytic Hilbert spaces, including the Hardy, Bergman and Dirichlet cases, with symbol $\phi$ of uniform norm $< 1$, we prove that \lim_{n \to \infty} [a_n (C_\phi)]^{1/n} = \e^{- 1/ \capa [\phi (\D)]}, where \capa [\phi (\D)] is the Green capacity of \phi (\D) in \D. This formula holds also for $H^p$ with $1 \leq p < \infty$.Comment: 25 page

Infinitesimal Carleson property for weighted measures induced by analytic self-maps of the unit disk

We prove that, for every $\alpha > -1$, the pull-back measure $\phi ({\cal A}_\alpha)$ of the measure $d{\cal A}_\alpha (z) = (\alpha + 1) (1 - |z|^2)^\alpha \, d{\cal A} (z)$, where ${\cal A}$ is the normalized area measure on the unit disk \D, by every analytic self-map \phi \colon \D \to \D is not only an $(\alpha + 2)$-Carleson measure, but that the measure of the Carleson windows of size \eps h is controlled by \eps^{\alpha + 2} times the measure of the corresponding window of size $h$. This means that the property of being an $(\alpha + 2)$-Carleson measure is true at all infinitesimal scales. We give an application by characterizing the compactness of composition operators on weighted Bergman-Orlicz spaces

Approximation numbers of composition operators on the Hardy space of the ball and of the polydisk

We give general estimates for the approximation numbers of composition operators on the Hardy space on the ball $B\_d$ and the polydisk $D^d$

Two remarks on composition operators on the Dirichlet space

We show that the decay of approximation numbers of compact composition operators on the Dirichlet space $\mathcal{D}$ can be as slow as we wish, which was left open in the cited work. We also prove the optimality of a result of O.~El-Fallah, K.~Kellay, M.~Shabankhah and A.~Youssfi on boundedness on $\mathcal{D}$ of self-maps of the disk all of whose powers are norm-bounded in $\mathcal{D}$.Comment: 15 page