Reaping Numbers of Boolean Algebras

A subset A of a Boolean algebra B is said to be (n,m)-reapedif there is a partition of unity p B of size n such that |{b p:b a 0}| m for all a A. The reaping number r_n,m (B) ofa Boolean algebra B is the minimum cardinality of a set A B\{0}which cannot be (n,m)-reaped. It is shown that for each n, thereis a Boolean algebra B such that r_n+1,2(B) r_n,2(B). Also, {r_n,m(B):mn } consists of at most two consecutive cardinals. The existenceof a Boolean algebra B such that r_n,m (B) r_n',m' (B) is equivalentto a statement in finite combinatorics which is also discussed.     

Antisupercyclic Operators and Orbits of the Volterra Operator

We say that a bounded linear operator T acting on a Banach spaceB is antisupercyclic if for any x B either Tⁿx = 0 for somepositive integer n or the sequence {Tⁿx/||Tⁿx||} weakly convergesto zero in B. Antisupercyclicity of T means that the angle criterionof supercyclicity is not satisfied for T in the strongest possibleway. Normal antisupercyclic operators and antisupercyclic bilateralweighted shifts are characterized. As for the Volterra operator V, it is proved that if 1 p and any f L_p [0,1] then the limit lim_n (n!||Vⁿf||_p)^1/n doesexist and equals 1 – inf supp (f). Upon using this asymptoticformula it is proved that the operator V acting on the Banachspace L_p[0,1] is antisupercyclic for any p (1,). The same statementfor p = 1 or p = is false. The analogous results are provedfor operators when the real part of z C is positive.     

The Derivation Problem for Group Algebras of Connected Locally Compact Groups

The derivation problem for a locally compact group G is to decidewhether for each derivation D from L¹(G) into L¹(G) there isa bounded measure µM(G) with D(a) = aµ–µa(a L¹(G)). In this paper we obtain an affirmative answer forthe case of connected groups. To explain the contents of thispaper we give an equivalent formulation of the problem. Supposethat the group G acts as a group of homeomorphisms of the locallycompact space X. Related to this there is an action of G onM(X). A bounded crossed homomorphism from G to M(X) is a map with bounded range and satisfying (gh) = g(h)+(g) (g, h G).The problem for bounded crossed homomorphisms is to decide iffor each such there is an element µ of M(X) with (g)= gµ– µ (g G). The derivation problem isequivalent to this bounded crossed homomorphism problem forthe special case X = G where G acts on X by conjugation (togetherwith some mild continuity hypotheses about the map :GM(X) whichare often automatically satisfied). The bounded crossed homomorphismproblem always has a positive solution if G is amenable anda closely related calculation shows that in solving the boundedcrossed homomorphism problem we need only solve it for functions which are zero on H where H is a given amenable subgroup ofG. It can happen that this condition of being zero on H forces to be zero even when H is a comparatively small subgroup ofG. If h is an element of G such that ‘hⁿx ’ asn for all x X then for any two measures µ and , forlarge values of n, µ and hⁿ have little overlap so ||µ+ hⁿ|| ||µ|| + ||||. Thus if H is the subgroup generatedby h, for any g G .     

Eigenvectors of Order-Preserving Linear Operators

Suppose that K is a closed, total cone in a real Banach spaceX, that A:XX is a bounded linear operator which maps K intoitself, and that A' denotes the Banach space adjoint of A. Assumethat r, the spectral radius of A, is positive, and that thereexist x₀0 and m1 with A^m(x₀)=r^mx₀ (or, more generally, thatthere exist x₀(–K) and m1 with A^m(x₀)r^mx₀). If, in addition,A satisfies some hypotheses of a type used in mean ergodic theorems,it is proved that there exist uK–{0} and K'–{0}with A(u)=ru, A'()=r and (u)>0. The support boundary of Kis used to discuss the algebraic simplicity of the eigenvaluer. The relation of the support boundary to H. Schaefer's ideasof quasi-interior elements of K and irreducible operators Ais treated, and it is noted that, if dim(X)>1, then thereexists an xK–{0} which is not a quasi-interior point.The motivation for the results is recent work of Toland, whoconsidered the case in which X is a Hilbert space and A is self-adjoint;the theorems in the paper generalize several of Toland's propositions.     

Linear Automorphisms that are Symplectomorphisms

Let K be the field of real or complex numbers. Let (X K²ⁿ,) be a symplectic vector space and take 0 < k < n,N =. Let L₁,...,L_N X be 2k-dimensionallinear subspaces which are in a sufficiently general position.It is shown that if F : X X is a linear automorphism whichpreserves the form ^k on all subspaces L₁,...,L_N, then F is an_k-symplectomorphism (that is, F^* = _k, where ). In particular, if K = R and k is odd then F mustbe a symplectomorphism. The unitary version of this theoremis proved as well. It is also observed that the set A_l,2r ofall l-dimensional linear subspaces on which the form has rank 2r is linear in the Grassmannian G(l,2n), that is, there isa linear subspace L such that A_l,2r = L G(l, 2n). In particular,the set A_l,2r can be computed effectively. Finally, the notionof symplectic volume is introduced and it is proved that itis another strong invariant.     

Inner Derivations and Primal Ideals of C*-Algebras

Let A be a C*-algebra. For a A let D(a, A) denote the innerderivation induced by a, regarded as a bounded operator on A,and let d(a, Z(A)) denote the distance of a from Z(A), the centreof A. Let K(A) be the smallest number in [0, ] such that d(a,Z(A)) K(A)||D(a, A)|| for all a A. It is shown that if A isnon-commutative and has an identity then either K(A) = , or K(A) = 1 / 3, or K(A) 1. Necessaryand sufficient conditions for these three possibilities aregiven in terms of the primitive and primal ideals of A. If Ais a quotient of an AW*-algebra then K(A) . Helly's Theorem is used to show that if A is aweakly central C*-algebra then K(A) 1.     

Sharp Upper Bound to the First Nonzero Neumann Eigenvalue for Bounded Domains in Spaces of Constant Curvature

The main result of this paper is that for a domain containedin a hemisphere of the n-dimensional sphere Sⁿ the first nonzeroNeumann eigenvalue µ₁() is less than or equal to the firstnonzero Neumann eigenvalue µ₁(D) where D is a geodesicball in Sⁿ of the same measure as . Equality occurs if and onlyif is isometric to D. This result generalizes old results ofSzegö and Weinberger which gave the corresponding upperbound for µ₁() in the Euclidean case, and a result ofChavel for domains in Sⁿ which restricted to lie in a geodesicball of radius when n = 2and to even smaller geodesic balls for larger n. The techniquesused are analogous to those for our recent proof of the Payne-Pólya-Weinbergerconjecture: rearrangement inequalities and properties of specialfunctions are the key elements. The general approach is a directextension of Weinberger's for domains in Rⁿ.     

On Banach Spaces Verifying Grothendieck's Theorem

The projective tensor product ₂ with any Banach space X sits inside the space Rad(X) of allalmost unconditionally summable sequences in X. If X is of cotype2 and u : XY is 2-summing, then u takes Rad(X) into . Consequently, if X is of cotype 2,then every operator from X to ₂ is 1-summing if and only if. In this case, each 2-summing operator from ₂ to X is nuclear, and X does not have non-trivialtype provided that dim X = . 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification46B28, 46M05.     

Commuting holomorphic maps on the spectral unit ball

We prove that if F is a holomorphic map from the open spectralunit ball of a primitive Banach algebra into itself satisfyingF(0) = 0, F^' (0) = I and F(x) x = xF(x) for every x, then Fis the identity map. Using this, we prove that if is a semisimpleBanach algebra and is a primitive Banach algebra, then anyunital spectral isometry from onto which locally preservescommutativity is a Jordan morphism. The same is true when and are both assumed to be von Neumann algebras.     

Uncertainty Inequalities for Fourier Series of Pairs of Reciprocal Positive Functions

In the early 1930s, Wiener proved that if f(x) is a strictlypositive periodic function whose Fourier series is absolutelyconvergent, then the Fourier series of g(x)=1/f(x) is also absolutelyconvergent [8, pp. 10–14]. This phenomenon can be easilyunderstood nowadays using Banach algebra techniques (see, forexample, [4, pp. 202–203]). In fact, these techniquesallow us to study the absolute convergence of g(x)=F(f(x)),where F is holomorphic in an open subset of C that containsthe range of f(x) (for xR). In this context, Wiener's originalproblem corresponds to the choice F(z)=1/z. In this work we want to analyse the constraints on the simultaneousrate of vanishing of the Fourier coefficients f(n) and (n) asn. We shall focus on g=1/f, but we shall also study the generalcase g=F(f). In either case, there are obviously no constraintswhen f is a constant function. Although this problem does not seem to be directly related touncertainty inequalities for the Fourier Transform, we observethat there are some analogies, both in the nature of the resultsand in the proof techniques. The general fact with which weare dealing is that f(n) and (n) cannot vanish too quickly atthe same time as n, unless f(x) is constant. The general factthat underlies uncertainty inequalities is that a non-periodicfunction (x) and its Fourier Transform circ;(u) cannot vanishtoo quickly at the same time as x and u, unless (x) is zero(almost everywhere). For a simple introduction to some aspectsof uncertainty inequalities, see [5]; for a thorough and recentintroduction to this vast subject, see [3]. 1991 MathematicsSubject Classification 42A05, 42A16, 42A99.     

On The Curvature of the Real Milnor Fiber

Let C be a germ at O R² of a real analytic plane curve, andC^C its complexification; let C_t B be a fiber of a real smoothdeformation of C in the ball B = B(O,). The following inequalityis proved between the integrals of real curvature k of C_t andthose of Gaussian curvature K of : The sharpness of this inequality is proved in the case whereC is a real irreducible germ. Similar results are proved foran affine algebraic curve C R² of degree d. 2000 MathematicsSubject Classification 14H20, 14H50, 53A04.     

Finiteness Properties of Certain Metabelian Arithmetic Groups in the Function Field Case

Consider the group scheme where R is an arbitrary commutative ring with 1 0 and a unitx R* acts on R by multiplication. We will study the finiteness properties of subgroups of G(O_S)where O_S is an S-arithmetic subring of a global function field.The subgroups we are interested in are of the form where Q is a subgroup of O_S*. The finiteness propertiesof these metabelian groups can be expressed in terms of the-invariant due to R. Bieri and R. Strebel. Theorem A. Let S be a finite set of places of a global functionfield (regarded as normalized discrete valuations) and O_S thecorresponding S-arithmetic ring. Let Q be a subgroup of O_S*.Then Q is finitely generated and for all integers n 1 the followingare equivalent:

(1) O_S Q is of type FP_n;

(2) O_S is n-tameas a ZQ-module;

(3) each p S restricts to a non-trivial homomorphism and the set is n-tame.

If these conditions hold for at least one n 1 then the identity holds.} Theorem B. Let r denote the rank of Q. Then the followinghold:

(1) the group O_S Q is not of type FP_r+1};

(2) if Qhas maximum rank r = |S| –1 then the group O_S Q is oftype FP_r.

In particular, is of type FP_{|S| –1} but not of type FP_|S|. 1991 Mathematics SubjectClassification: 20E08, 20F16, 20G30, 52A20.     

Geometry of Critical Loci

Let :(Z,z)(U,0) be the germ of a finite (that is, proper with finite fibres)complex analytic morphism from a complex analytic normal surfaceonto an open neighbourhood U of the origin 0 in the complexplane C². Let u and v be coordinates of C² defined on U. Weshall call the triple (, u, v) the initial data. Let stand for the discriminant locus of the germ , that is,the image by of the critical locus of . Let ()_A be the branches of the discriminant locus at O whichare not the coordinate axes. For each A, we define a rational number d by where I(–, –) denotes the intersection number at0 of complex analytic curves in C². The set of rational numbersd, for A, is a finite subset D of the set of rational numbersQ. We shall call D the set of discriminantal ratios of the initialdata (, u, v). The interesting situation is when one of thetwo coordinates (u, v) is tangent to some branch of , otherwiseD = {1}. The definition of D depends not only on the choiceof the two coordinates, but also on their ordering. In this paper we prove that the set D is a topological invariantof the initial data (, u, v) (in a sense that we shall definebelow) and we give several ways to compute it. These resultsare first steps in the understanding of the geometry of thediscriminant locus. We shall also see the relation with thegeometry of the critical locus.     

The Full Muntz Theorem in C[0, 1] and L1[0, 1]

The main result of this paper is the establishment of the ‘fullMüntz Theorem’ in C[0, l]. This characterizes thesequences of distinct, positive real numbers for which span{l, x^₁, x^₂, ...} is dense in C[0,1]. The novelty of this result is the treatment of the mostdifficult case when inf_ii = 0 while sup_ii = . The paper settlesthe L and L₁ cases of the following. THEOREM (Full Müntz Theorem in L_p[0,1]). Let p [l, ].Suppose that is a sequence of distinct real numbers greater than –1/p. Then span{x^₀,x^₁, ...} is dense in L_p[0, 1] if and only if      

Tensor Products of C*-Algebras Over Abelian Subalgebras

Suppose that A is a C*-algebra and C is a unital abelian C*-subalgebrawhich is isomorphic to a unital subalgebra of the centre ofM(A), the multiplier algebra of A. Letting = , so that we maywrite C = C(), we call A a C()-algebra (following Blanchard[7]). Suppose that B is another C()-algebra, then we form A_CB, the algebraic tensor product of A with B over C as follows:A B is the algebraic tensor product over C, I_C = {ⁿ_i–1(f_i 1–1f_i)x|f_iC, xAB} is the ideal in AB generated by f1–1f|fC,and A _CB = AB/I_C. Then A_CB is an involutive algebra over C,and we shall be interested in deciding when A_CB is a pre-C*-algebra;that is, when is there a C*-norm on A_C B? There is a C*-semi-norm,which we denote by ||·||_C-min, which is minimal in thesense that it is dominated by any semi-norm whose kernel containsthe kernel of ||·||_C-min. Moreover, if A _C B has a C*-norm,then ||·||_C-min is a C*-norm on A_C B. The problem isto decide when ||·||_C-min is a norm. It was shown byBlanchard [7, Proposition 3.1] that when A and B are continuousfields and C is separable, then ||·||_C-min is a norm.In this paper we show that ||·||_C-min is a norm whenC is a von Neumann algebra, and then we examine some consequences.     

Homology of GLn over algebraically closed fields

In this paper we define higher pre-Bloch groups _n(F) of a fieldF. When the base field is algebraically closed, we study itsconnection to the homology of the general linear groups withcoefficients in /l , where l is a positive integer. As a resultof our investigation we give a necessary and sufficient conditionfor the natural map H_n(GL_n–1(F), /l ) H_n(GL_n(F), /l )to be bijective. We prove that this map is bijective for n4.We also demonstrate that a certain property of _n() is equivalentto the validity of the Friedlander–Milnor isomorphismconjecture for (n+1)th homology of GL_n().     

Extremal Properties of Contraction Semigroups on Hilbert and Banach Spaces

Let f be a unit vector and T = {T(t) = e^tA: t 0} be a (C₀)contraction semigroup generated by A on a complex Hilbert spaceX. If |T(t)f,f| 1 as t then f is an eigenvector of A correspondingto a purely imaginary eigenvalue. If one allows X to be a Banachspace, the same situation can be considered by replacing T(t)f,fby (T(t)f) where is a unit vector in X^* dual to f. If |(T(t)f)| 1, as t , is f an eigenvector of A? The answer is sometimesyes and sometimes no.     

On the Norm of Elementary Operators

The norm problem is considered for elementary operators of theform U_a,b: AA,x axb+bxa (a,bA) in the special case when A isa subalgebra of the algebra of bounded operators on a Banachspace. In particular, the lower estimate || is established when the Banach space is a Hilbertspace and A is the algebra of all bounded linear operators.     

REAL HYPERSURFACES IN A EUCLIDEAN COMPLEX SPACE FORM

Let M be an orientable connected and compact real hypersurfaceof the complex space form C^{(n + 1)/2}. If the mean curvature and the function f = g(A, ) of hypersurface M satisfy the inequalityn²² (n² – 1) + f², where is the characteristic vectorfield, A is the shape operator and (n – 1) is the infimumof the Ricci curvatures of hypersurface M, then it is shownthat is a constant and M is the sphere Sⁿ(²) in C^{(n + 1)/2}.