Rates of decay in the classical Katznelson-Tzafriri theorem

The Katznelson-Tzafriri Theorem states that, given a power-bounded operator T, ∥Tⁿ(I ? T)∥ → 0 as n → ∞ if and only if the spectrum σ(T) of T intersects the unit circle T in at most the point 1. This paper investigates the rate at which decay takes place when σ(T) ∩ T = {1}. The results obtained lead, in particular, to both upper and lower bounds on this rate of decay in terms of the growth of the resolvent operator R(e^iθ, T) as θ → 0. In the special case of polynomial resolvent growth, these bounds are then shown to be optimal for general Banach spaces but not in the Hilbert space case.