The Poisson Kernel for Hardy Algebras

This note contributes to a circle of ideas that we have been developing recently in which we view certain abstract operator algebras H^∞(E), which we call Hardy algebras, and which are noncommutative generalizations of classical H^∞, as spaces of functions defined on their spaces of representations. We define a generalization of the Poisson kernel, which “reproduces” the values, on , of the “functions” coming from H^∞(E). We present results that are natural generalizations of the Poisson integral formula. They also are easily seen to be generalizations of formulas that Popescu developed. We relate our Poisson kernel to the idea of a characteristic operator function and show how the Poisson kernel identifies the “model space” for the canonical model that can be attached to a point in the disc . We also connect our Poisson kernel to various “point evaluations” and to the idea of curvature. The first named author was supported in part by grants from the National Science Foundation and from the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation. The second named author was supported in part by the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation and by the B. and G. Greenberg Research Fund (Ottawa).