Biflatness of semigroup algebras

We shall study the biflatness of the convolution algebra ℓ ¹(S) for a semigroup S. We show that for any semigroup S such that ℓ ¹(S) is biflat the canonical partial ordering on the idempotents must be uniformly locally finite. We use this to characterize the biflatness of ℓ ¹(S) for an inverse semigroup S.     

Pseudo-contractibility and pseudo-amenability of semigroup algebras

In this paper, we characterize pseudo-contractibility of ℓ ¹(S), where S is a uniformly locally finite inverse semigroup. As a consequence, we show that for a Brandt semigroup S=M⁰(G,I),{S={\mathcal{M}}^{0}(G,I),} the semigroup algebra ℓ ¹(S) is pseudo-contractible if and only if G and I are finite. Moreover, we study the notions of pseudo-amenability and pseudo-contractibility of a semigroup algebra ℓ ¹(S) in terms of the amenability of S.     

Preduals of semigroup algebras

For a locally compact group G, the measure convolution algebra M(G) carries a natural coproduct. In previous work, we showed that the canonical predual C ₀(G) of M(G) is the unique predual which makes both the product and the coproduct on M(G) weak^*-continuous. Given a discrete semigroup S, the convolution algebra ℓ ¹(S) also carries a coproduct. In this paper we examine preduals for ℓ ¹(S) making both the product and the coproduct weak^*-continuous. Under certain conditions on S, we show that ℓ ¹(S) has a unique such predual. Such S include the free semigroup on finitely many generators. In general, however, this need not be the case even for quite simple semigroups and we construct uncountably many such preduals on ℓ ¹(S) when S is either ℤ₊×ℤ or (ℕ,⋅).     

Approximate amenability of Banach category algebras with application to semigroup algebras

Let C be a small category. Then we consider ℓ ¹(C) as the ℓ ¹ algebra over the morphisms of C, with convolution product and also consider as the ℓ ¹ algebra over the objects of C, with pointwise multiplication. The main purpose of this paper is to show that approximate amenability of ℓ ¹(C) implies of and clearly this implies that C has only finitely many objects. Some applications are given, the main one is the characterization of approximate amenability for ℓ ¹(S), where S is a Brandt semigroup, which corrects a result of Lashkarizadeh Bami and Samea (Semigroup Forum 71:312–322, 2005).     

Amenability constants for semilattice algebras

For any finite commutative idempotent semigroup S, a semilattice, we show how to compute the amenability constant of its semigroup algebra ℓ ¹(S). This amenability constant is always of the form 4n+1. We then show that these give lower bounds to amenability constants of certain Banach algebras graded over semilattices. We also give example of a commutative Clifford semigroups G _n whose semigroup algebras ℓ ¹(G _n ) admit amenability constants of the form 41+4(n−1)/n. We also show there is no commutative semigroup whose semigroup algebra has an amenability constant between 5 and 9. N. Spronk’s research was supported by NSERC Grant 312515-05.     

A note on the approximate amenability of semigroup algebras

It is known that the bicyclic semigroup S ₁ is an amenable inverse semigroup. In this note we show that the convolution semigroup algebra ℓ ¹(S ₁) is not approximately amenable.     

Filters and semigroup compactification properties

Stone-Čech compactifications derived from a discrete semigroup S can be considered as the spectrum of the algebra ℬ(S) or as a collection of ultrafilters on S. What is certain and indisputable is the fact that filters play an important role in the study of Stone-Čech compactifications derived from a discrete semigroup. It seems that filters can play a role in the study of general semigroup compactifications too. In the present paper, first we review the characterizations of semigroup compactifications in terms of filters and then extend some of the results in Papazyan (Semigroup Forum 41:329–338, 1990) concerning the Stone-Čech compactification to a semigroup compactification associated with a Hausdorff semitopological semigroup.     

The continuity of the inversion and the structure of maximal subgroups in countably compact topological semigroups

We search for conditions on a countably compact (pseudocompact) topological semigroup under which: (i) each maximal subgroup H(e) in S is a (closed) topological subgroup in S; (ii) the Clifford part H(S) (i.e. the union of all maximal subgroups) of the semigroup S is a closed subset in S; (iii) the inversion inv: H(S) → H(S) is continuous; and (iv) the projection π: H(S) → E(S), π: x ↦ xx ⁻¹, onto the subset of idempotents E(S) of S, is continuous.      

On maximal weakly separated set-systems

For a permutation ω∈S _n , Leclerc and Zelevinsky in Am. Math. Soc. Transl., Ser. 2 181, 85–108 (1998) introduced the concept of an ω-chamber weakly separated collection of subsets of {1,2,…,n} and conjectured that all inclusionwise maximal collections of this sort have the same cardinality ℓ(ω)+n+1, where ℓ(ω) is the length of ω. We answer this conjecture affirmatively and present a generalization and additional results.     

Module Arens regularity for semigroup algebras

We extend the concept of Arens regularity of a Banach algebra to the case that there is an -module structure on , and show that when S is an inverse semigroup with totally ordered subsemigroup E of idempotents, then A=ℓ ¹(S) is module Arens regular if and only if an appropriate group homomorphic image of S is finite. When S is a discrete group, this is just Young’s theorem which asserts that ℓ ¹(S) is Arens regular if and only if S is finite. An erratum to this article can be found at     

The closure of the smallest ideal of an ultrafilter semigroup

Let S be a discrete semigroup, let β S be the Stone-Čech compactification of S, and let T be a closed subsemigroup of β S. We characterize ultrafilters from the smallest ideal K(T) of T and from its closure c ℓ  K(T). We show that, for a large class of closed subsemigroups of β S, c ℓ  K(T) is not an ideal of T. This class includes the subsemigroups 0⁺⊂βℝ _d and ℍ _κ ⊂β(⊕ _κ ℤ₂).     

Approximate Amenability of Certain Semigroup Algebras

In the present paper, it is shown that a left cancellative semigroup S (not necessarily with identity) is left amenable whenever the Banach algebra ℓ¹(S) is approximately amenable. It is also proved that if S is a Brandt semigroup over a group G with an index set I, then ℓ¹(S) is approximately amenable if and only if G is amenable. Moreover ℓ¹(S) is amenable if and only if G is amenable and I is finite. For a left cancellative foundation semigroup S with an identity such that for every M_a(S)-measurable subset B of S and s ∈ S the set sB is M_a(S)-measurable, it is proved that if the measure algebra M_a(S) is approximately amenable, then S is left amenable. Concrete examples are given to show that the converse is negative.     

On <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-weak amenability of Rees semigroup algebras

Let S be a Rees matrix semigroup. We show that l ¹(S) is (2k + 1)-weakly amenable for k ∈ ℤ⁺.     

Rigidity of commutators and elementary operators on Calkin algebras

LetA=(A ₁,...,A _n ),B=(B ₁,...,B _n )εL(ℓ ^p ) ⁿ be arbitraryn-tuples of bounded linear operators on (ℓ ^p ), with 1<p<∞. The paper establishes strong rigidity properties of the corresponding elementary operators ε _a,b on the Calkin algebraC(ℓ ^p )≡L(ℓ ^p )/K(ℓ ^p ); , where quotient elements are denoted bys=S+K(ℓ ^p ) forSεL(ℓ ^p ). It is shown among other results that the kernel Ker(ε _a,b ) is a non-separable subspace ofC(ℓ ^p ) whenever ε _a,b fails to be one-one, while the quotient is non-separable whenever ε _a,b fails to be onto. These results extend earlier ones in several directions: neither of the subsets {A ₁,...,A _n }, {B ₁,...,B _n } needs to consist of commuting operators, and the results apply to other spaces apart from Hilbert spaces. Supported by the Academy of Finland, Project 32837.     

Ring semigroups whose subsemigroups form a chain

A multiplicative semigroup S is called a ring semigroup if an addition may be defined on S so that (S,+,⋅) is a ring. Such semigroups have been well-studied in the literature (see Bell in Words, Languages and Combinatorics, pp. 24–31, World Scientific, Singapore, 1994; Jones in Semigroup Forum 47(1):1–6, 1993; Jones and Ligh in Semigroup Forum 17(2):163–173, 1979). In this note, we use Mihăilescu’s Theorem (formerly Catalan’s Conjecture) to characterize the ring semigroups whose subsemigroups containing 0 form a chain with respect to set inclusion.     

A note on two equivalence relations on inverse semigroups

Let S be an inverse semigroup. In Rezavand et al. (Semigroup Forum 77:300–305, 2008) and Munn (Proc. Glasgow Math. Assoc. 5:41–48, 1961) two equivalence relations are defined on  S. After describing these relations we show that they coincide.     

Real loci of based loop groups

Let (G, K) be a Riemannian symmetric pair of maximal rank, where G is a compact simply connected Lie group and K is the fixed point set of an involutive automorphism σ. This induces an involutive automorphism τ of the based loop space Ω(G). There exists a maximal torus T ⊂ G such that the canonical action of T × S ¹ on Ω(G) is compatible with τ (in the sense of Duistermaat). This allows us to formulate and prove a version of Duistermaat’s convexity theorem. Namely, the images of Ω(G) and Ω(G) ^τ (fixed point set of τ) under the T × S ¹ moment map on Ω(G) are equal. The space Ω(G) ^τ is homotopy equivalent to the loop space Ω(G/K) of the Riemannian symmetric space G/K. We prove a stronger form of a result of Bott and Samelson which relates the cohomology rings with coefficients in \mathbbZ₂ {\mathbb{Z}_2} of Ω(G) and Ω(G/K). Namely, the two cohomology rings are isomorphic, by a degree-halving isomorphism (Bott and Samelson [BS] had proved that the Betti numbers are equal). A version of this theorem involving equivariant cohomology is also proved. The proof uses the notion of conjugation space in the sense of Hausmann, Holm, and Puppe [HHP].     

Multiderivations of Coxeter arrangements

Let V be an ℓ-dimensional Euclidean space. Let G⊂O(V) be a finite irreducible orthogonal reflection group. Let ? be the corresponding Coxeter arrangement. Let S be the algebra of polynomial functions on V. For H∈? choose α _H ∈V ^* such that H=ker(α _H ). For each nonnegative integer m, define the derivation module D ^(m) (?)={θ∈Der _S |θ(α _H )∈Sα ^m _H }. The module is known to be a free S-module of rank ℓ by K. Saito (1975) for m=1 and L. Solomon-H. Terao (1998) for m=2. The main result of this paper is that this is the case for all m. Moreover we explicitly construct a basis for D ^(m) (?). Their degrees are all equal to mh/2 (when m is even) or are equal to ((m−1)h/2)+m _i (1≤i≤ℓ) (when m is odd). Here m ₁≤···≤m _ℓ are the exponents of G and h=m _ℓ+1 is the Coxeter number. The construction heavily uses the primitive derivation D which plays a central role in the theory of flat generators by K. Saito (or equivalently the Frobenius manifold structure for the orbit space of G). Some new results concerning the primitive derivation D are obtained in the course of proof of the main result. Oblatum 27-XI-2001 & 4-XII-2001?Published online: 18 February 2002     

Denting and strongly extreme points in the unit ball of spaces of operators

For 1 ≤p ≤ ∞ we show that there are no denting points in the unit ball of ℓ(l^p). This extends a result recently proved by Grząślewicz and Scherwentke whenp = 2 [GS1]. We also show that for any Banach spaceX and for any measure space (Ω, A, μ), the unit ball of ℓ(L ¹ (μ), X) has denting points iffL ¹(μ) is finite dimensional and the unit ball ofX has a denting point. We also exhibit other classes of Banach spacesX andY for which the unit ball of ℓ(X, Y) has no denting points. When X* has the extreme point intersection property, we show that all ‘nice’ operators in the unit ball of ℓ(X, Y) are strongly extreme points.     

Multipliers of weighted semigroups and associated Beurling Banach algebras

Given a weighted discrete abelian semigroup (S, ω), the semigroup M _ω (S) of ω-bounded multipliers as well as the Rees quotient M _ω (S)/S together with their respective weights [(w)\tilde]\tilde{\omega} and [(w)\tilde]_q\tilde{\omega}_q induced by ω are studied; for a large class of weights ω, the quotient l¹(M_w(S),[(w)\tilde])/l¹(S,w)\ell^1(M_{\omega}(S),\tilde{\omega})/\ell^1(S,{\omega}) is realized as a Beurling algebra on the quotient semigroup M _ω (S)/S; the Gel’fand spaces of these algebras are determined; and Banach algebra properties like semisimplicity, uniqueness of uniform norm and regularity of associated Beurling algebras on these semigroups are investigated. The involutive analogues of these are also considered. The results are exhibited in the context of several examples.