Constrained von Neumann inequalities

An equivalent formulation of the von Neumann inequality states that the backward shift S* on l(2) is extremal, in the sense that if T is a Hilbert space contraction, then \\p(T)\ less than or equal to \\p(S*)\\ for each polynomial p. We discuss several results of the following type: if T is a Hilbert space contraction satisfying some constraints, then S* restricted to a suitable invariant subspace is an extremal operator. Several operator radii are used instead of the operator norm. Applications to inequalities of coefficients of rational functions positive on the torus are given. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).