Existence of ground states and KMS states for approximately inner dynamics

A strongly continuous one parameter group of *-automorphisms of aC*-algebra with unit is said to be approximately inner if it can be approximated strongly by inner one parameter groups of *-automorphisms. It is shown that an approximately inner one parameter group of *-automorphisms has a ground state and, if there exists a trace state, a KMS state for all inverse temperatures. It follows that quantum lattice systems have ground states and KMS states. Conditions that a strongly continuous one parameter group of *-automorphisms of a UHF algebra be approximately inner are given in terms of the unbounded derivation which generates the automorphism group.