Resolvent Tests for Similarity to a Normal Operator

The main result of this paper is the resolvent similarity criterionwhich says that linear growth of the resolvent towards the spectrumis sufficient for a Hilbert space contraction with finite rankdefect operators and spectrum not covering the unit disc tobe similar to a normal operator. Similar results are provedfor operators having a spectral set bounded by a Dini-smoothJordan curve; in particular, a dissipative operator with finiterank imaginary part is similar to a normal operator if and onlyif its resolvent grows linearly towards the spectrum. Relevantresults on the insufficiency of linear resolvent growth notaccompanied by smallness of defect operators are presented.Also it is proved that there is no restriction on the spectrum,other than finiteness, which together with linear resolventgrowth implies similarity to a normal operator. The constructionof corresponding examples depends on a characterization of well-knownAhlfors curves as curves of linear length growth with respectto linear fractional transformations. 1991 Mathematics SubjectClassification: 11D25, 11G05, 14G05.