Abstract: | Let S be a densely defined and closed symmetric relation in a Hilbert space ℋ︁ with defect numbers (1,1), and let A be some of its canonical selfadjoint extensions. According to Krein's formula, to S and A corresponds a so‐called Q‐function from the Nevanlinna class N . In this note we show to which subclasses N γ of N the Q‐functions corresponding to S and its canonical selfadjoint extensions belong and specify the Q‐functions of the generalized Friedrichs and Krein‐von Neumann extensions. A result of L. de Branges implies that to each function Q ∈ N there corresponds a unique Hamiltonian H such that Q is the Titchmarsh‐Weyl coefficient of the two‐dimensional canonical system Jy′ = —zHy on [0, ∞) where Weyl's limit point case prevails at ∞. Then the boundary condition y(0) = 0 corresponds to a symmetric relation Tmin with defect numbers (1,1) in the Hilbert space L2H, and Q is equal to the Q‐function with respect to the extension corresponding to the boundary condition y1(0) = 0. If H satisfies some growth conditions at 0 or ∞, wepresent results on the corresponding Q‐functions and show under which conditions the generalized Friedrichs or Krein‐von Neumann extension exists. |