Local and 2-local derivations on noncommutative Arens algebras

The paper is devoted to so-called local and 2-local derivations on the noncommutative Arens algebra L ^ω(M,τ) associated with a von Neumann algebra M and a faithful normal semi-finite trace τ. We prove that every 2-local derivation on L ^ω(M,τ) is a spatial derivation, and if M is a finite von Neumann algebra, then each local derivation on L ^ω(M,τ) is also a spatial derivation and every 2-local derivation on M is in fact an inner derivation.     

On density of transitive operator algebras

In this paper we study the transitive algebra question by considering the invariant subspace problem relative to von Neumann algebras. We prove that the algebra (not necessarily ∗) generated by a pair of sums of two unitary generators of L(F_∞) and its commutant is strong-operator dense in B(H). The relations between the transitive algebra question and the invariant subspace problem relative to some von Neumann algebras are discussed.     

On local representations of von Neumann algebras

We prove that every bounded, linear, 2-local Hilbert space representation of a von Neumann algebra is a representation. In contrast, 1-local representations may fail to be multiplicative, even at the 2 by 2 matrix algebra level.

     

Regular elements in generalized hermitian algebras

A generalized Hermitian (GH) algebra is a special Jordan algebra that is at the same time a spectral order-unit space. In this paper we characterize the von Neumann regular elements in a GH-algebra, relate maximal pairwise commuting subsets of the algebra to blocks in its projection lattice, and prove a Gelfand-Naimark type representation theorem for commutative GH-algebras.     

A dynamical systems approach to the Kadison-Singer problem

In these notes we develop a link between the Kadison-Singer problem and questions about certain dynamical systems. We conjecture that whether or not a given state has a unique extension is related to certain dynamical properties of the state. We prove that if any state corresponding to a minimal idempotent point extends uniquely to the von Neumann algebra of the group, then every state extends uniquely to the von Neumann algebra of the group. We prove that if any state arising in the Kadison-Singer problem has a unique extension, then the injective envelope of a C*-crossed product algebra associated with the state necessarily contains the full von Neumann algebra of the group. We prove that this latter property holds for states arising from rare ultrafilters and δ-stable ultrafilters, independent, of the group action and also for states corresponding to non-recurrent points in the corona of the group.     

A noncommutative Brooks-Jewett Theorem

In classical measure theory the Brooks-Jewett Theorem provides a finitely-additive-analogue to the Vitali-Hahn-Saks Theorem. In this paper, it is studied whether the Brooks-Jewett Theorem allows for a noncommutative extension. It will be seen that, in general, a bona-fide extension is not valid. Indeed, it will be shown that a C^*-algebra A satisfies the Brooks-Jewett property if, and only if, it is Grothendieck, and every irreducible representation of A is finite-dimensional; and a von Neumann algebra satisfies the Brooks-Jewett property if, and only if, it is topologically equivalent to an abelian algebra.     

A duality principle for groups

The duality principle for Gabor frames states that a Gabor sequence obtained by a time-frequency lattice is a frame for L²(Rd) if and only if the associated adjoint Gabor sequence is a Riesz sequence. We prove that this duality principle extends to any dual pairs of projective unitary representations of countable groups. We examine the existence problem of dual pairs and establish some connection with classification problems for II₁ factors. While in general such a pair may not exist for some groups, we show that such a dual pair always exists for every subrepresentation of the left regular unitary representation when G is an abelian infinite countable group or an amenable ICC group. For free groups with finitely many generators, the existence problem of such a dual pair is equivalent to the well-known problem about the classification of free group von Neumann algebras.     

To the theory of operator monotone and operator convex functions

We prove that a real function is operator monotone (operator convex) if the corresponding monotonicity (convexity) inequalities are valid for some normal state on the algebra of all bounded operators in an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space. We describe the class of convex operator functions with respect to a given von Neumann algebra in dependence of types of direct summands in this algebra. We prove that if a function from ℝ⁺ into ℝ⁺ is monotone with respect to a von Neumann algebra, then it is also operator monotone in the sense of the natural order on the set of positive self-adjoint operators affiliated with this algebra.     

On hyperfinite factors of type III0 and Krieger's factors

A factor M is the cross product of an abelian von Neumann algebra by a single automorphism iff there exists an increasing sequence of normal conditional expectations of M onto finite-dimensional subalgebras N_k with (U N_k)^? = M. Assuming the uniqueness of the hyperfinite factor of type II_∞, we prove then that any hyperfinite factor of type III₀ is the cross product of an abelian von Neumann algebra by a single automorphism.     

Continuous derivations on *-algebras of τ-measurable operators are inner

It is proved that every continuous derivation on the *-algebra S(M, τ) of all τ-measurable operators affiliated with a von Neumann algebra M is inner. For every properly infinite von Neumann algebra M, any derivation on the *-algebra S(M, τ) is inner.     

On transitive algebras containing a standard finite von Neumann subalgebra

Let M be a finite von Neumann algebra acting on a Hilbert space H and A be a transitive algebra containing M^′. In this paper we prove that if A is 2-fold transitive, then A is strongly dense in B(H). This implies that if a transitive algebra containing a standard finite von Neumann algebra (in the sense of [U. Haagerup, The standard form of von Neumann algebras, Math. Scand. 37 (1975) 271-283]) is 2-fold transitive, then A is strongly dense in B(H). Non-selfadjoint algebras related to free products of finite von Neumann algebras, e.g., LFn and , are studied. Brown measures of certain operators in are explicitly computed.     

AlgebraicK-theory of von Neumann algebras

To every von Neumann algebra, one can associate a (multiplicative) determinant defined on the invertible elements of the algebra with range a subgroup of the Abelian group of the invertible elements of the center of the von Neumann algebra. This determinant is a normalization of the usual determinant for finite von Neumann algebras of type I, for the type II₁-case it is the Fuglede-Kadison determinant, and for properly infinite von Neumann algebras the determinant is constant equal to 1. It is proved that every invertible element of determinant 1 is a product of a finite number of commutators. This extends a result of T. Fack and P. de la Harpe for II₁-factors. As a corollary, it follows that the determinant induces an injection from the algebraicK ₁-group of the von Neumann algebra into the Abelian group of the invertible elements of the center. Its image is described. Another group,K ₁ ^w (A), which is generated by elements in matrix algebras overA that induce injective right multiplication maps, is also computed. We use the Fuglede-Kadison determinant to detect elements in the Whitehead group Wh(G).Partially supported by NSF Grant DMS-9103327.     

L 2-Analytic torsion functions for semifinite von Neumann algebras

We introduce determinant andL ²-analytic functions forn-tuples of commuting elements in a semifinite von Neumann algebra. Some fundamental properties of these functions are investigated.     

Hecke algebras associated with induced representationsLes algèbres de Hecke associées aux représentations induites

We define the Hecke von Neumann algebra $\text{L}\text{(G,H,σ)}$ associated with a group G, a subgroup H and a unitary representation σ of H. We show that when σ is finite dimensional, $\text{L}\text{(G,H,σ)}$ can be seen as a corner algebra of the tensor product of the group von Neumann algebra of a locally compact group and a matrix algebra. To cite this article: R. Curtis, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 334 (2002) 31–35     

On the double commutant of Cowen-Douglas operators

Let T be a Cowen-Douglas operator. In this paper, we study the von Neumann algebra V^?(T) consisting of operators commuting with both T and T^? from a geometric viewpoint. We identify operators in V^?(T) with connection-preserving bundle maps on E(T), the holomorphic Hermitian vector bundle associated to T. By studying such bundle maps, the structure of V^?(T) as well as information on reducing subspaces of T can be determined.     

Dilations of operator-valued measures with bounded p-variations and framings on Banach spaces

The dilations for operator-valued measures (OVMs) and bounded linear maps indicate that the dilation theory is in general heavily dependent on the Banach space nature of the dilation spaces. This naturally led to many questions concerning special type of dilations. In particular it is not known whether ultraweakly continuous (normal) maps can be dilated to ultraweakly continuous homomorphisms. We answer this question affirmatively for the case when the domain algebra is an abelian von Neumann algebra. It is well known that completely bounded Hilbert space operator valued measures correspond to the existence of orthogonal projection-valued dilations in the sense of Naimark and Stinespring, and OVMs with bounded total variations are completely bounded but not the vice-versa. With the aim of classifying OVMs from the dilation point of view, we introduce the concept of total p-variations for OVMs. We prove that any completely bounded OVM has finite 2-variation, and any OVM with finite p-variation can be dilated to a (but usually non-Hilbertian) projection-valued measure of the same type. With the help of framing induced OVMs, we prove that conventional minimal dilation space of a non-trivial framing contains $c_0$, then does not have bounded p-variation.     

Sufficiency and strong commutants in quantum probability theory

A probability algebra (A, *, ω) consisting of a^*algebraA with a faithful state ω provides a framework for an unbounded noncommutative probability theory. A characterization of symmetric probability algebra is obtained in terms of an unbounded strong commutant of the left regular representation ofA. Existence of coarse-graining is established for states that are absolutely continuous or continuous in the induced topology. Sufficiency of a^*subalgebra relative to a family of states is discussed in terms of noncommutative Radon-Nikodym derivatives (a form of Halmos-Savage theorem), and is applied to couple of examples (including the canonical algebra of one degree of freedom for Heisenberg commutation relation) to obtain unbounded analogues of sufficiency results known in probability theory over a von Neumann algebra.     

Fixed point properties of semigroups of nonexpansive mappings

We prove that if H is a Hilbert space then the Schatten (trace) class operators on H has the weak^∗ fixed point property for left reversible semigroups. This answered positively a problem raised by A.T.-M. Lau. We also prove that if M is a finite von Neumann algebra then any nonempty bounded convex subset of the non-commutative L¹-space associated to M that is compact for the measure topology has the fixed point property for left reversible semigroups.     

Operator valued weights in von Neumann algebras,II

Let M be a von Neumann algebra, and N a sub von Neumann algebra of M. We prove that if φ and ψ are n.f.s. weights on N and M respectively, such that σ_t^ψ extends σ_t^φ, then there is a unique n.f.s. operator valued weight T from M to N, such that ψ = φ ° T. Moreover we generalize the notion of modular automorphism groups associated with conditional expectations to operator valued weights.