Infinitely divisible completely positive mappings

Summary We generalise the theory of infinitely divisible positive definite functions f:G on a group G to a theory of infinite divisibility for completely positive mappings : G() taking values in the algebra of bounded operators on some Hilbert space .We prove a structure theorem for normalised infinitely divisible completely positive mappings which shows that the mapping , its Stinespring representation and its Stinespring isometry are of type S (in the sense of Guichardet [Gui]). Furthermore, we prove that a completely positive mapping is infinitely divisible if and only if it is the exponential (as defined in this paper) of a hermitian conditionally completely positive mapping.