Resolvent representations for functions of sectorial operators

Abstract: We obtain integral representations for the resolvent of $\psi(A)$, where $\psi$ is a holomorphic function mapping the right half-plane and the right half-axis into themselves, and $A$ is a sectorial operator on a Banach space. As a corollary, for a wide class of functions $\psi$, we show that the operator $-\psi(A)$ generates a sectorially bounded holomorphic $C_0$-semigroup on a Banach space whenever $-A$ does, and the sectorial angle of $A$ is preserved. When $\psi$ is a Bernstein function, this was recently proved by Gomilko and Tomilov, but the proof here is more direct. Moreover, we prove that such a permanence property for $A$ can be described, at least on Hilbert spaces, in terms of the existence of a bounded $H^{\infty}$-calculus for $A$. As byproducts of our approach, we also obtain new results on functions mapping generators of bounded semigroups into generators of holomorphic semigroups and on subordination for Ritt operators.