Type: Article
Publication Date: 1987-01-01
Citations: 243
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1090/s0002-9939-1987-0884467-4
A vector <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="x"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>x</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">x</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> in a linear topological space <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper X"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>X</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">X</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> is called <italic>universal</italic> for a linear operator <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper T"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>T</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">T</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> on <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper X"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>X</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">X</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> if the orbit <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="StartSet upper T Superscript n Baseline x colon n greater-than-or-equal-to 0 EndSet"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo fence="false" stretchy="false">{</mml:mo> <mml:mrow class="MJX-TeXAtom-ORD"> <mml:msup> <mml:mi>T</mml:mi> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> <mml:mi>x</mml:mi> <mml:mo>:</mml:mo> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> <mml:mo>≥<!-- ≥ --></mml:mo> <mml:mn>0</mml:mn> <mml:mo fence="false" stretchy="false">}</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">\{ {T^n}x:n \geq 0\}</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> is dense in <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper X"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>X</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">X</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula>. Our main result gives conditions on <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper T"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>T</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">T</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> and <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper X"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>X</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">X</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> which guarantee that <inline-formula content-type="math/mathml"> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" alttext="upper T"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mi>T</mml:mi> <mml:annotation encoding="application/x-tex">T</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> </inline-formula> will have universal vectors. It applies to the operators of differentiation and translation on the space of entire functions, where it makes contact with Pólya’s theory of final sets; and also to backward shifts and related operators on various Hilbert and Banach spaces.