The Algebraic K-Theory of Operator Algebras

We the study the algebraic K-theory of C *-algebras, forgetting the topology. The main results include a proof that commutative C*-algebras are K-regular in all degrees (that is, all theirN ^T K _iand extensions of the Fischer-Prasolov Theorem comparing algebraic and topological K-theory with finite coefficients.     

On A(X) → TC(X) for some X

Let X be a connected based space and p be a two-regular prime number. If the fundamental group of X has order p, we compute the two-primary homotopy groups of the homotopy fiber of the trace map A(X) → TC(X) relating algebraic K-theory of spaces to topological cyclic homology. The proof uses a theorem of Dundas and an explicit calculation of the cyclotomic trace map K(ℤ[C_p])→ TC(ℤ[C_p]).     

Cochain model for thickenings and its application to rational LS-category

A thickening of a finite CW-complex X is by definition a compact manifold M of the same simple homotopy type as X. We give a model for the cochain complex of the boundary of that manifold, C ^*(δM), as a module over the cochain algebra C ^*(X). We also show how to construct an algebraic model of the rational homotopy type of δC ^*(M) from a model of X. Using this rational model, we prove a new formula for the rational Lusternik–Schnirelmann category of X. Received: 24 September 1999     

TheK-theory of AF embeddings of the rational rotation algebras

Our main result is the construction of an embedding ofC(T²) into an approximately finite-dimensionalC ^*-algebra which induces an injection onK ₀(C(T²)). The existence of this embedding implies that Cech cohomology cannot be extended to a stable, continuous homology theory forC ^*-algebras which admits a well-behaved Chern character. Homotopy properties ofC ^*-algebras are also considered. For example, we show that the second homotopy functor forC ^*-algebras is discontinuous. Similar embeddings are constructed for all the rational rotation algebras, with the consequence that none of the rational rotation algebras satisfies the homotopy property called semiprojectivity.     

Representable K-Theory for σ-C*-algebras

We define a version of K-theory on the category of -C ^*-algebras (countable inverse limits of C ^*-algebras). Our theory is homotopy invariant, has long exact sequences and a Milnor sequence, and satisfies Bott periodicity. On C ^*-algebras it gives the ordinary K-theory, and on the space of continuous functions on a countable direct limit X of compact Hausdorff spaces, it gives the representable K-theory of X. (We do not claim that our theory is in general a representable functor.) We also define an equivariant version, and discuss several related groups.Partially supported by a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship.     

Filtrations of Simplicial Functors and the Novikov Conjecture

We show that the Strong Novikov Conjecture for the maximal C^*-algebra C^*(π) of a discrete group π is equivalent to a statement in topological K-theory for which the corresponding statement in algebraic K-theory is always true. We also show that for any group π, rational injectivity of the full assembly map for K_*^t(C^*(π)) follows from rational injectivity of the restricted assembly map. (Received: February 2006)     

NonstableK-Theory for operator algebras

We show that the homotopy groups of the group of quasi-unitaries inC ^*-algebras form a homology theory on the category of allC ^*-algebras which becomes topologicalK-theory when stabilized. We then show how this functorial setting, in particular the half-exactness of the involved functors, helps to calculate the homotopy groups of the group of unitaries in a series ofC ^*-algebras. The calculations include the case of all AbelianC ^*-algebras and allC ^*-algebras of the formAB, whereA is one of the Cuntz algebras O_n n=2, 3, ..., an infinite dimensional simpleAF-algebra, the stable multiplier or corona algebra of a-unitalC ^*-algebra, a properly infinite von Neumann algebra, or one of the projectionless simpleC ^*-algebras constructed by Blackadar.     

Mapping Surgery to Analysis I: Analytic Signatures

We develop the theory of analytically controlled Poincaré complexes over C ^*-algebras. We associate a signature in C ^*-algebra K-theory to such a complex, and we show that it is invariant under bordism and homotopy. The authors were supported in part by NSF Grant DMS-0100464.     

Real C*-Algebras, United K-Theory, and the Künneth Formula

We define united K-theory for real C^*-algebras, generalizing Bousfield's topological united K-theory. United K-theory incorporates three functors – real K-theory, complex K-theory, and self-conjugate K-theory – and the natural transformations among them. The advantage of united K-theory over ordinary K-theory lies in its homological algebraic properties, which allow us to construct a Künneth-type, nonsplitting, short exact sequence whose middle term is the united K-theory of the tensor product of two real C^*-algebras A and B which holds as long as the complexification of A is in the bootstrap category . Since united K-theory contains ordinary K-theory, our sequence provides a way to compute the K-theory of the tensor product of two real C^*-algebras. As an application, we compute the united K-theory of the tensor product of two real Cuntz algebras. Unlike in the complex case, it turns out that the isomorphism class of the tensor product is not determined solely by the greatest common divisor of K and l. Hence, we have examples of nonisomorphic, simple, purely infinite, real C^*-algebras whose complexifications are isomorphic.     

Algebraic K-theory of Normed Algebras

Quillen's algebraic K-theory of discrete rings is extended to the category of normed algebras over a commutative Banach ring k with unit and its relationship with topological K-theory is established. Sufficient conditions for the isomorphism of algebraic and topological K-groups on the category of real normed algebras are given. The isomorphism of algebraic and topological K-functors on the category of polynomial extensions of stable C-algebras is proved.     

Homotopy after tensoring with uniformly hyperfiniteC*-algebras

The paper is devoted to the homotopy classification ofC*-algebras of continuous functions on a finite CW-complex with values in a UHF-algebra. The relevant invariants are based on (connective)K-theory.     

Classification of extensions of classifiable -algebras

For a certain class of extensions of C^*-algebras in which B and A belong to classifiable classes of C^*-algebras, we show that the functor which sends to its associated six term exact sequence in K-theory and the positive cones of K₀(B) and K₀(A) is a classification functor. We give two independent applications addressing the classification of a class of C^*-algebras arising from substitutional shift spaces on one hand and of graph algebras on the other. The former application leads to the answer of a question of Carlsen and the first named author concerning the completeness of stabilized Matsumoto algebras as an invariant of flow equivalence. The latter leads to the first classification result for nonsimple graph C^*-algebras.     

Asymptotic coarsening of proper metric spaces and index problems

 We introduce an asymptotic coarse structure on proper metric spaces and study the associated C ^* -algebras and assembly maps. We establish an asymptotic Lipschitz homotopy invariance theorem for the K-theory of these C ^* -algebras and the K-homology of the metric space, and show that the assembly map is an isomorphism over an asymptotically scaleable space. Received: 12 July 2001 / Revised version: 29 October 2002 Published online: 3 March 2003 The first author is supported in part by the National Basic Research Project (973), NSF and the Educational Ministry of P. R. China. The second author is supported by the NSF grant 10201007, P. R. China, and a grant from Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, No. 01ZA14003. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): Primary 46L80     

Algebraic K-Theory and the Conjectural Leibniz K-Theory

The analogy between algebraic K-theory and cyclic homology is used to build a program aiming at understanding the algebraic K-theory of fields and the periodicity phenomena in algebraic K-theory. In particular, we conjecture the existence of a Leibniz K-theory which would play the role of Hochschild homology. We propose a motivated presentation for the Leibniz K ₂-group ofa field.     

The Volodin model for hermitian algebraic K-theory

We define the Volodin hermitian algebraic K-theory for a (discrete) ring with an involution and show that it is isomorphic to Karoubi's hermitian algebraic K-theory. We also construct the Volodin model X(R _*) of hermitian algebraic K-theory for a simplicial ring R _* and show that it is a homotopy fiber of the map B Ô(R _*)B Ô(R _*)⁺. We also prove the general linear version of this result, which has been claimed in the existing literature, but whose proof was overlooked.     

Étale descent for hochschild and cyclic homology

IfB is an étale extension of ak-algebraA, we prove for Hochschild homology thatHH _*(B)≅HH_*(A)⊗_AB. For Galois descent with groupG there is a similar result for cyclic homology:HC _*≅HC_*(B)^G if . In the process of proving these results we give a localization result for Hochschild homology without any flatness assumption. We then extend the definition of Hochschild homology to all schemes and show that Hochschild homology satisfies cohomological descent for the Zariski, Nisnevich and étale topologies. We extend the definition of cyclic homology to finite-dimensional noetherian schemes and show that cyclic homology satisfies cohomological descent for the Zariski and Nisnevich topologies, as well as for the étale topology overQ. Finally we apply these results to complete the computation of the algebraicK-theory of seminormal curves in characteristic zero. Partially supported by National Science Foundation grant DMS-8803497 Partially supported by National Security Agency grant MDA904-90-H-4019     

A Fredholm operator approach to Morita equivalence

GivenC*-algebrasA andB and an imprimitivityA-B-bimoduleX, we construct an explicit isomorphismX _*:K _i (A)K _i (B), whereK _i denotes the complexK-theory functors fori=0, 1. Our techniques do not require separability nor the existence of countable approximate identities. We thus extend to generalC*-algebras the result of Brown, Green, and Rieffel according to which, strongly Morita equivalentC*-algebras have isomorphicK-groups. The method employed includes a study of Fredholm operators on Hilbert modules.On leave from the University of São Paulo, Brazil.     

On the Exel Crossed Product of Topological Covering Maps

For dynamical systems defined by a covering map of a compact Hausdorff space and the corresponding transfer operator, the associated crossed product C ^*-algebras C(X)⋊ _α,ℒℕ introduced by Exel and Vershik are considered. An important property for homeomorphism dynamical systems is topological freeness. It can be extended in a natural way to in general non-invertible dynamical systems generated by covering maps. In this article, it is shown that the following four properties are equivalent: the dynamical system generated by a covering map is topologically free; the canonical embedding of C(X) into C(X)⋊ _α,ℒℕ is a maximal abelian C ^*-subalgebra of C(X)⋊ _α,ℒℕ; any nontrivial two sided ideal of C(X)⋊ _α,ℒℕ has non-zero intersection with the embedded copy of C(X); a certain natural representation of C(X)⋊ _α,ℒℕ is faithful. This result is a generalization to non-invertible dynamics of the corresponding results for crossed product C ^*-algebras of homeomorphism dynamical systems.     

KK-groups for generalized operator algebras. II

The extension of Kasparovs bivariant K-theory to inverse limits of C ^* -algebras admits exact Puppe sequences in both variables. Two exact sequences generalizing Milnor's lim-lim¹ sequences are established. For CW complexes the extended K-theory is representable K-theory.     

On the Homotopy Type of the Unitary Group and the Grassmann Space of Purely Infinite Simple C*-Algebras

We completely determine the homotopy groups _n (.) of the unitary group and the space of projections of purely infinite simple C ^*-algebras in terms of K-theory. We also prove that the unitary group of a purely infinite simple C ^*-algebra A is a contractible topological space if and only if K0(A) = K1(A) = {0}, and again if and only if the unitary group of the associated generalized Calkin algebra L(HA) / K(HA) is contractible. The well-known Kuiper's theorem is extended to a new class of C ^*-algebras.