Numerical ranges of Foguel operators revisited

Abstract

The Foguel operator is defined as $F_T=\begin{bmatrix}S^* & T \\ 0 & S\end{bmatrix}$, where $S$ is the right shift on a Hilbert space $\mathcal H$ and $T$ can be an arbitrary bounded linear operator acting on $\mathcal H$. Obviously, the numerical range $W(F_0)$ of $F_T$ with $T=0$ is the open unit disk, and it was suggested by Gau, Wang and Wu in their LAA'2021 paper that $W(F_{aI})$ for non-zero $a\in\mathbb C$ might be an elliptical disk. In this paper, we described $W(F_{aI})$ explicitly and, as it happens, it is not.