Bifurcation for variational problems when the linearisation has no eigenvalues

For a bounded analytic function, ?, on the unit disk, $\text{D,}\text{let}\text{T}{}_{\mathrm{?}}\text{and}\text{M}{}_{\mathrm{?}}$ denote the operators of multiplication by ? on H²(?D) and L²(?D), respectively. In their 1973 paper, Deddens and Wong asked whether there is an analytic Toeplitz operator $\text{T}{}_{\mathrm{?}}$ that commutes with a nonzero compact operator, and whether every operator that commutes with an analytic Toeplitz operator has an extension that commutes with the corresponding multiplication operator on L². In the first part of this paper, we give an explicit example of an analytic Toeplitz operator T_φ that settles both of these questions. This operator commutes with a nonzero compact operator (a composition operator followed by an analytic Toeplitz operator). The only operators in the commutant of T_φ that extend to commute with M_φ are analytic Toeplitz operators. Although the commutant of T_φ contains more than just analytic Toeplitz operators, T_φ is irreducible. The remainder of the paper seeks to explain more fully the phenomena incorporated in this example by introducing a class of analytic functions, including the function φ, and giving additional conditions on functions g in the class to determine whether T_g commutes with nonzero compact operators, whether T_g is irreducible, and which operators in the commutant of T_g extend to the commutant of M_g. In particular, we find representations for operators in the commutant and second commutant of T_g.