Contractions with Polynomial characteristic functions I. Geometric approach

Abstract: In this note we study the completely non unitary contractions on separable complex Hilbert spaces which have polynomial characteristic functions. These operators are precisely those which admit a matrix representation of the form T = S & * & * 0 & N & * 0& 0& C, where $S$ and C^* are unilateral shifts of arbitrary multiplicities and $N$ is nilpotent. We prove that dimension of ker S^* and dimension of ker C are unitary invariants of $T$ and that N, up to a quasi-similarity is uniquely determined by T. Also, we give a complete classification of the subclass of those contractions for which their characteristic functions are monomials.