A new concept for block operator matrices:the quadratic numerical range Original Research Article

In this paper a new concept for 2×2-block operator matrices – the quadratic numerical range – is studied. The main results are a spectral inclusion theorem, an estimate of the resolvent in terms of the quadratic numerical range, factorization theorems for the Schur complements, and a theorem about angular operator representations of spectral invariant subspaces which implies e.g. the existence of solutions of the corresponding Riccati equations and a block diagonalization. All results are new in the operator as well as in the matrix case.