A Note on the Caradus Class of Bounded Linear Operators on a Complex Banach Space

Abstract

1. In a recent paper (1) on meromorphic operators, Caradus introduced the class of bounded linear operators on a complex Banach space X. A bounded linear operator T is put in the class if and only if its spectrum consists of a finite number of poles of the resolvent of T. Equivalently, T is in if and only if it has a rational resolvent (8, p. 314).Some ten years ago (in May, 1957), I discovered a property of the class g which may be of interest in connection with Caradus' work, and is the subject of the present note.2. THEOREM. Let X be a complex Banach space. If T belongs to the class, and the linear operator S commutes with every bounded linear operator which commutes with T, then there is a polynomial p such that S = p(T).