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.     

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.     

Arens Regularity of Semigroup Algebras with Certain Locally Convex Topologies

The authors have recently introduced and studied a locally convex topology β¹(S) on the semigroup algebra M_a(S) of a locally compact semigroup S; as the main result, they showed that the strong dual of (M_a(S),β¹(S)) can be identified with the Banach space L^∞₀(S,M_a(S)) for a large class of locally compact semigroups S. Here, an application of this result is made to define and investigate an Arens multiplication on the second dual of (M_a(S),β¹(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,⋅).     

Biflatness of ℓ<Superscript>1</Superscript>-Semilattice Algebras

We show that if L is a semilattice then the ℓ¹-convolution algebra of L is biflat precisely when L is "uniformly locally finite". Our proof technique shows in passing that if this convolution algebra is biflat then it is isomorphic as a Banach algebra to the Banach space ℓ¹(L) equipped with pointwise multiplication. At the end we sketch how these techniques may be extended to prove an analogous characterisation of biflatness for Clifford semigroup algebras.     

Irregular abelian semigroups with weakly amenable semigroup algebra

In this paper we give counterexamples for the open problem, posed by Blackmore (Semigroup Forum 55:359–377, 1987) of whether weak amenability of a semigroup algebra ℓ ¹(S) implies complete regularity of the semigroup S. We present a neat set of conditions on a commutative semigroup (involving concepts well known to those working with semigroups, e.g. the counterexamples are nil and 0-cancellative) which ensure that S is irregular (in fact, has no nontrivial regular subsemigroup), but ℓ ¹(S) is weakly amenable. Examples are then given.     

t-Sets and some algebraic properties in β S and in ℓ ∈ fty(S) *

For a large class of infinite discrete semigroups, we prove that right cancellative points in β S can have arbitrary norms or sizes. More precisely, if for x∈β S, we let ||x||= min{|A| : x ∈

Strict topology over the space of measures with continuous translations on a locally compact foundation semigroup

Let $ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} be a locally compact semigroup, ω be a weight function on $ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} , and M _a ($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} , ω) be the weighted semigroup algebra of $ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} . Let L ₀^∞ ($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} ; M _a ($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} , ω)) be the C*-algebra of all M _a ($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} , ω)-measurable functions g on $ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} such that g/ω vanishes at infinity. We introduce and study a strict topology β ¹($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} , ω) on M _a ($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} , ω) and show that the Banach space L ₀^∞ ($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} ; M _a ($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} , ω)) can be identified with the dual of M _a ($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} , ω) endowed with β ¹($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} , ω). We finally investigate some properties of the locally convex topology β ¹($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} , ω) on M _a ($ \mathfrak{S} $ \mathfrak{S} , ω).     

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.     

On character amenability of semigroup algebras

We study the character amenability of semigroup algebras. We work on general semigroups and certain semigroups such as inverse semigroups with a finite number of idempotents, inverse semigroups with uniformly locally finite idempotent set, Brandt and Rees semigroup and study the character amenability of the semigroup algebra l¹(S) in relation to the structures of the semigroup S. In particular, we show that for any semigroup S, if ?¹(S) is character amenable, then S is amenable and regular. We also show that the left character amenability of the semigroup algebra ?¹(S) on a Brandt semigroup S over a group G with index set J is equivalent to the amenability of G and J being finite. Finally, we show that for a Rees semigroup S with a zero over the group G, the left character amenability of ?¹(S) is equivalent to its amenability, this is in turn equivalent to G being amenable.     

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.     

Projections on weak*-closed subspace of dual Banach algebras

Our first purpose in this paper is to provide necessary conditions for a weak*-closed translation invariant subspace in the semigroup algebra of a locally compact topological foundation semigroup to be completely complemented. We give conditions when a weak*-closed left translation invariant subspace in Ma(S)* of a compact cancellative foundation semigroup S is the range of a weak*-weak* continuous projection on M _a (S)* commuting with translations. Let G be a locally compact group and A be a Banach G-module. Our second purpose in this paper is to study some projections on A* and B(A*) which commutes with translations and convolution.     

Characterization of Simplicity and Cancellativity in βS

We determine precisely when the Stone-Cech compactification βS of a discrete semigroup S is simple and when it is left cancellative or right cancellative. As a consequence we see that βS is cancellative only when it is trivially so. That is, βS is cancellative if and only if S is a finite group.     

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.     

Locally compact subgroups of the spectrum of the measure algebra II

The maximal ideal space Δ_G of the measure algebra M(G) of a locally compact abelian group G is a compact commutative semitopological semigroup. In this paper we show that cℓ Ĝ the closure of Ĝ, the dual of G, in Δ_G can contain maximal subgroups which are not locally compact. We have previously characterized the locally compact maximal subgroups of cℓ Ĝ as arising from locally compact topologies on G which are finer than the original topology. This research was supported in part by NSF contract number GP-19852.     

A partial converse to a theorem of Tamari

Let M be a cancellative monoid such that the monoid ring ℤM has no zero divisors. We show that if the monoid consisting of all elements of ℤM with strictly positive coefficients has nonzero common right multiples, then M is left amenable.     

Cancellative Orders

left order in Q and Q is a semigroup of left quotients of S if every q∈Q can be written as q=a^*b for some a, b∈S where a^* denotes the inverse of a in a subgroup of Q and if, in addition, every square-cancellable element of S lies in a subgroup of Q. Perhaps surprisingly, a semigroup, even a commutative cancellative semigroup, can have non-isomorphic semigroups of left quotients. We show that if S is a cancellative left order in Q then Q is completely regular and the {\cal D}-classes of Q are left groups. The semigroup S is right reversible and its group of left quotients is the minimum semigroup of left quotients of S. The authors are grateful to the ARC for its generous financial support.     

Identities of semigroup algebras of completely O-simple semigroups

Let H = M⁰(G; I, ; P) be a Rees semigroup of matrix type with sandwich matrix P over a group H⁰ with zero. If F is a subgroup of G of finite index and X is a system of representatives of the left cosets of F in G, then with the matrix P there is associated in a natural way a matrix P(F, X) over the group F⁰ with zero. Our main result: the semigroup algebra K[H] of H over a field K of characteristic 0 satisfies an identity if and only if G has an Abelian subgroup F of finite index and, for any X, the matrix P(F, X) has finite determinant rank.Translated from Matematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 203–212, August, 1975.     

Strongly and weakly almost periodic linear maps on semigroup algebras

Let S be a foundation locally compact topological semigroup. Two new topologies τ _c and τ _w are introduced on M _a (S)^*. We introduce τ _c and τ _w almost periodic functionals in M _a (S)^*. We study these classes and compare them with each other and with the norm almost periodic and weakly almost periodic functionals. For f∈M _a (S)^*, it is proved that T _f ∈ℬ(M _a (S),M _a (S)^*) is strong almost periodic if and only if f is τ _c -almost periodic. Indeed, we have obtained a generalization of a well known result of Crombez for locally compact group to a more general setting of foundation topological semigroups. Finally if P(S) (the set of all probability measures in M _a (S)) has the semiright invariant isometry property, it is shown that the set of τ _w -almost periodic functionals has a topological left invariant mean.     

Homological properties of modules over semigroup algebras

Let S be a semigroup. In this paper we investigate the injectivity of ?¹(S) as a Banach right module over ?¹(S). For weakly cancellative S this is the same as studying the flatness of the predual left module c₀(S). For such semigroups S, we also investigate the projectivity of c₀(S). We prove that for many semigroups S for which the Banach algebra ?¹(S) is non-amenable, the ?¹(S)-module ?¹(S) is not injective. The main result about the projectivity of c₀(S) states that for a weakly cancellative inverse semigroup S, c₀(S) is projective if and only if S is finite.