Homework 7
1. If X and Y are normed spaces, and T1 and T2 are compact linear operators, show that
T1 + T2 is a compact linear operator. Show that the compact linear operators from X into
Y constitute a subspace K(X, Y ) of B(X, Y ).
Solution: There are two ways to prove that T1 + T2 are compact if T1 and T2 are com-
pact. One can resort to the characterization of compact operators by sequences, and
simply note that if {xn } is a bounded sequence then {T1 xn } and {T2 xn } have convergent
subsequences. Then use linearity and select a common subsequence so that {(T1 +T2 )xn }
has a convergent subsequence. The other way to prove that T1 +T2 is compact is to recall
that the sum of two compact sets is again compact.
That K(X, Y ) is a subspace is then immediate. We know that K(X, Y ) ⊂ B(X, Y )
since every compact linear operator is bounded. It is immediate that if λ ∈ C and
T ∈ K(X, Y ) then λT ∈ K(X, Y ) too. The above gives that T1 + λS ∈ K(X, Y ) when
T, S ∈ K(X, Y ) and λ ∈ C. So K(X, Y ) is a subspace.
2. If X is a normed space and Y is a Banach space, show that K(X, Y ) is a Banach space.
Solution: If X is a normed space and Y is a Banach space, then B(X, Y ) is a Banach
space. By Problem 1, we have that K(X, Y ) is a subspace of B(X, Y ). We just need to
show that if {Tn } is Cauchy in K(X, Y ) then the limit is a compact operator. Suppose
that {Tn } is Cauchy in K(X, Y ), then since B(X, Y ) is complete, we have that there is
a limit operator T ∈ B(X, Y ). However, since kTn − T k → 0, then we must have that T
is compact (an 3 -argument from class). Thus, we have that {Tn } is convergent and so
K(X, Y ) is a Banach space.
3. Show that a linear operator T : X → X is compact if and only if for every sequence {xn }
of vectors of norm not exceeding 1 the sequence {T xn } has a convergent subsequence.
Solution: To prove this we will use the alternate (equivalent) definition of compactness,
for any bounded sequence {xn } the sequence {T xn } has a convergent subsequence.
First suppose that T is compact and that the the sequence of vectors {xn } is bounded
in norm not exceeding 1. Then it is a bounded sequence and so {T xn } has a convergent
subsequence.
Now suppose that every sequence {xn } of vectors of norm not exceeding 1 the sequence
{T xn } has a convergent subsequence. Let {xn } be a given bounded sequence. Then
there exists a number R > 0 such that kxn k ≤ R for all n. So the sequence yn = xRn
is bounded in norm by 1. Thus,we have that {T yn } has a convergent subsequence. But
since T is linear, we have that R1 T xn has a convergent subsequence. This then gives
that T is compact.
4. If z ∈ X and f ∈ X ∗ , show that T : X → X defined by T x = f (x)z is compact.
Solution: The range of the map is at most one dimensional. Compactness follows easily
from this.
xj
5. Show that T : `p → `p , 1 ≤ p < ∞, with T x = y defined by yj = (T x)j = j
is compact
Solution: Define Tn : `p → `p by
x xn
2
Tn x = x1 , , . . . , , . . . .
2 n
Then we clearly have that Tn is compact since it has finite dimensional range. Note that
∞
X |xj |p 1
kTn x − T xkp`p = p
≤ p
kxkp`p .
j=n+1
j (n + 1)
So we have that Tn → T uniformly. Then, we have that T is compact by the Theorem
in class.
6. Suppose that X is a Banach space. Let T ∈ B(X) and let S ∈ K(X). Show that
T S, ST ∈ K(X). Note that this implies that K(X) is an ideal in B(X).
Solution: Let B ⊂ X be any bounded set. Since T is bounded, we have that T (B) is
a bounded set too. Thus, ST (B) = S(T (B)) is relatively compact, and so ST is compact.
Let {xn } be any bounded sequence in X. Then since S is compact the sequence {Sxn }
has a convergent subsequence, denoted by {Sxnk }. Since T is bounded, we have that
{T Sxnk } is a convergent sequence. This gives that T S is compact.
7. Define the shift operator on `2 := `2 (N ∪ {0}) by
0 : n=0
(Sx)n =
xn−1 : n ≥ 1
1
Similarly, define the multiplication operator M : `2 → `2 by (M x)n = x .
n+1 n
Set T = M S.
1
Show that T is compact. Compute kT n k and limn kT n k n
Solution: We switch notation to avoid double subscripts. A sequence will be denoted
by x(n) instead of xn . First observe that
0 : n=0
T x(n) = x(n−1)
n+1
: n≥1
For k ∈ N define the operator
0 : n=0
x(n−1)
Tk x(n) = n+1
: 1≤n≤k
0 : n > k.
Note that Tk is linear and compact. A simple computation then gives that
2
X |x(n − 1)|2
kT x − Tk xk`2 =
n≥k
(n + 1)2
1
≤ kxk2`2 .
(k + 1)2
1
This gives that kTk − T k ≤ k+1
and so Tk → T uniformly, and so T is compact.
Now we first compute T 2 . A straightforward computation gives that
2 0 : n=0
T x(n) = T (T x(n)) = T x(n−1)
n+1
: n≥1
0 : n=0
= 0 : n=1
x(n−2)
(n+1)n
: n ≥ 2.
More generally, we have that
(
0 : 0≤n≤k−1
T k x(n) = x(n−k)
Qk−1 : n ≥ k.
j=0 (n+1−j)
From this representation we conclude that
∞
k
2 X 2 1 1
T x
2 =
`
|x(n)| Q k−1
≤ Q k−1
kxk2`2 .
2 2
n=0 j=0 (n + k + 1 − j) j=0 (k + 1 − j)
And choosing x = (1, 0, 0, . . .) gives that
k
T
2 2 = Q 1
` →` k−1
.
j=0 (k + 1 − j)
1
From this it is easy to deduce that limn kT n k n = 0. Indeed,
k−1
1
1X
log
T k
= − (k + 1 − j)
k k j=0
1 k(k + 1) k+3
= − (k + 1)k − =− .
k 2 2
This last expression converges to −∞ as k → ∞ then exponentiation gives the claim.
