Non-self-adjoint Jacobi matrices with a rank-one imaginary part

We develop direct and inverse spectral analysis for finite and semi-infinite non-self-adjoint Jacobi matrices with a rank-one imaginary part. It is shown that given a set of n not necessarily distinct nonreal numbers in the open upper (lower) half-plane uniquely determines an n × n Jacobi matrix with a rank-one imaginary part having those numbers as its eigenvalues counting algebraic multiplicity. Algorithms of reconstruction for such finite Jacobi matrices are presented. A new model complementing the well-known Livsic triangular model for bounded linear operators with a rank-one imaginary part is obtained. It turns out that the model operator is a non-self-adjoint Jacobi matrix. We show that any bounded, prime, nonself- adjoint linear operator with a rank-one imaginary part acting on some finite-dimensional (respectively separable infinite-dimensional Hilbert space) is unitarily equivalent to a finite (respectively semi-infinite) non-self-adjoint Jacobi matrix. This obtained theorem strengthens a classical result of Stone established for self-adjoint operators with simple spectrum. We establish the non-self-adjoint analogs of the Hochstadt and Gesztesy–Simon uniqueness theorems for finite Jacobi matrices with nonreal eigenvalues as well as an extension and refinement of these theorems for finite non-self-adjoint tri-diagonal matrices to the case of mixed eigenvalues, real and nonreal. A unique Jacobi matrix, unitarily equivalent to the operator of integration (Ff )(x) = 2i l x f (t)dt in the Hilbert space L2[0, l] is found as well as spectral properties of its perturbations and connections with the well-known Bernoulli numbers.We also give the analytic characterization of the Weyl functions of dissipative Jacobi matrices with a rank-one imaginary part. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.