3.30 PM, Seminar Hall
A pedagogical re-take on the spectral theorem
V.S. Sunder
Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai.
11-03-14

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Abstract

The bombastic title is just an attempt to describe that this talk will try to provide a complete and elementary proof of the fundamental spectral theorem for normal operators on separable Hilbert space in a one hour lecture. The `pedagogy' comes from the fact that the proof is entirely operator-theoretic, and independent of Gelfand theory, which is the approach I have taken to teach my students all these years; this proof may be considered a homage to my teacher Paul Halmos who was always happiest when a proof was stripped of fancy terminology and its skeletal operator theory.