The infinitesimal generators of analytic semigroups have the following characterization:
A closed, densely defined linear operator A on a Banach space X is the generator of an analytic semigroup if and only if there exists an ω ∈ R such that the half-plane Re(λ) > ω is contained in the resolvent set of A and, moreover, there is a constant C such that for the resolvent
of the operator A we have

for Re(λ) > ω. Such operators are called sectorial. If this is the case, then the resolvent set actually contains a sector of the form

for some δ > 0, and an analogous resolvent estimate holds in this sector. Moreover, the semigroup is represented by

where γ is any curve from e−iθ∞ to e+iθ∞ such that γ lies entirely in the sector

with π/2 < θ < π/2 + δ.