On operators close to isometries

Abstract

We introduce and discuss a class of operators, to be referred to as operators close to isometries. The Bergman-type operators, 2-hyperexpansions, expansive p-isometries, and certain alternating hyperexpansions are main examples of such operators. We establish a few decomposition theorems for operators close to isometries. Applications are given to the theory of p-isometries and of hyperexpansive operators.