The following (so-called unitary equivalence) problem is of paramount importance in the theory of operators: given two (bounded linear) operators A1, A2 on a (complex) Hilbert space , determine whether or not they are unitarily equivalent, i.e., whether or not there is a unitary operator U on such that U*A1U = A2. For normal operators this question is completely answered by the classical multiplicity theory [7; 11]. Many authors, in particular, Brown [3], Pearcy [9], Deckard [5], Radjavi [10], and Arveson [1; 2], considered the problem for non-normal operators and have obtained various significant results. However, most of their results (cf. [13]) deal only with operators which are of type I in the following sense [12]: an operator, A, is of type I (respectively, II1, II∞, III) if the von Neumann algebra generated by A is of type I (respectively, II1, II∞, III).
On the unitary equivalence of normal operators in Hilbert spaces
