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Compact Op On Hilbert

This document discusses compact operators on separable Hilbert spaces. It proves that compact operators on separable Hilbert spaces can be approximated by finite rank operators. It first proves a lemma that the values of a compact operator approach zero as the basis is increased. It then uses this lemma to prove the main result that compact operators can be approximated to within any epsilon by finite rank operators.

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Guillermo Aleman
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72 views2 pages

Compact Op On Hilbert

This document discusses compact operators on separable Hilbert spaces. It proves that compact operators on separable Hilbert spaces can be approximated by finite rank operators. It first proves a lemma that the values of a compact operator approach zero as the basis is increased. It then uses this lemma to prove the main result that compact operators can be approximated to within any epsilon by finite rank operators.

Uploaded by

Guillermo Aleman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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COMPACT OPERATORS ON A SEPARABLE HILBERT SPACE

Compact operators on a separable Hilbert space have an additional property not shared by
compact operators on a Banach space. On a separable Hilbert space, they can be viewed as
norm limits of finite rank operators. In other words he smallest closed space (closed in the
operator norm) of linear operators that contains the finite rank operators are the compact
operators. In applications, most of the Hilbert spaces are separable and hence much of the
analysis can be reduced to operators with finite rank. This is important for applications, since
computations for compact operators can be reduced to computations with operators of finite
rank. To prove this, we start with a simple lemma.
Lemma 0.1. Let H be a separable Hilbert space and let K : H H be a compact operator.
Further, let {en }
n=1 be an orthonormal basis and define

N = sup{kKxk : x span[e1 , . . . , eN ] , kxk = 1} .


Then limN N = 0.
Proof. The sequence N is decreasing and hence has a limit . Suppose that > 0. For each
N there exists a vector xN with kxN k = 1, such that xN is perpendicular to the span of the
vectors e1 , . . . , eN and such that
kKxN k /2 .
(1) (1)
The sequence xN is bounded and hence there exists a subsequence xN such that KxN con-
verges strongly to some vector y, i.e.,
(1)
kKxN yk 0
as N . Further
(1) (1) (1)
kKxN yk2 = kKxN k2 + kyk2 2hKxN , yi
(1) (1)
= kKxN k2 + kyk2 2hxN , K yi .
Here K is the adjoint operator which is bounded. In fact it is compact but this is not relevant
here. Since
(1) (1)
|hxN , K yi| kxN kkPN K yk
where PN is the projection onto the subspace of all vectors perpendicular to e1 , . . . , eN and
{en }
n=1 is a basis, we have that kPN K yk 0 as N and hence
(1)
lim |hxN , K yi| = 0 .
N

More precisely,

X
kPN K yk2 = |hen , K yi|2 0
n=N +1
as N . Thus, kyk = 0 and therefore
(1)
lim kKxN k2 = 0
N

which is a contradiction. Hence = 0 and the lemma is proved. 


1
2 COMPACT OPERATORS ON A SEPARABLE HILBERT SPACE

Theorem 0.2. Let H be a separable Hilbert space, and K : H H a compact operator. For
any > 0 there exists a finite rank operator K such that
kK K k < .
Proof. Fix a basis {en }
n=1 . Such a basis exists, because H is a separable Hilbert space. Pick
N such that
N = sup{kKxk : x span[e1 , . . . , eN ] , kxk = 1} < .
Such N exists on account of the previous lemma. Define
N
X N
X
K x = (Ken )hx, en i = K en hx, en i .
n=1 n=1
Then
k(K K )xk = kKPN xk
where PN is the projection onto the orthogonal complement of the space spanned by e1 , . . . , eN .
But
kKPN xk N kxk < kxk
and hence kK K k < . 

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