Holomorphic operator valued functions generated by passive selfadjoint systems

Abstract: In this paper we study a class $\mathcal R\mathcal S(\mathfrak M)$ of operator functions that are holomorphic in the domain $\mathbb C\setminus{(-\infty,-1]\cup [1,+\infty)}$ and whose values are contractive operators in a Hilbert space $(\mathfrak M)$. The functions in $\mathcal R\mathcal S(\mathfrak M)$ are Schur functions in the open unit disk $\mathbb D$ and, in addition, Nevanlinna functions in $\mathbb C_+\cup\mathbb C_-$. Such functions can be realized as transfer functions of minimal passive selfadjoint discrete-time systems. We give various characterizations for the class $\mathcal R\mathcal S(\mathfrak M)$ and obtain an explicit form for the inner functions from the class $\mathcal R\mathcal S(\mathfrak M)$ as well as an inner dilation for any function from $\mathcal R\mathcal S(\mathfrak M)$. We also consider various transformations of the class $\mathcal R\mathcal S(\mathfrak M)$, construct realizations of their images, and find corresponding fixed points.