Extremal Unital Completely Positive Maps and Their Symmetries

We consider the set \(P_1({\mathcal A},{\mathcal M})\) (respectively \(CP_1({\mathcal A},{\mathcal M})\) of unital positive (completely) maps from a \(C^*\) algebra \({\mathcal A}\) to a von-Neumann sub-algebra \({\mathcal M}\) of \({\mathcal B}({\mathcal H})\), the algebra of bounded linear operators on a Hilbert space \({\mathcal H}\). We study the extreme points of the convex set \(P_1({\mathcal A},{\mathcal M})\) (\(CP_1({\mathcal A},{\mathcal M})\)) via their canonical lifting to the convex set of (unital) positive (completely) normal maps from \(\hat{{\mathcal A}}\) to \({\mathcal M}\), where \({\mathcal A}^{**}\) is the universal enveloping von-Neumann algebra over \({\mathcal A}\). If \({\mathcal A}={\mathcal M}\) then a (completely) positive map \(\tau \) admits a unique decomposition into a sum of a normal and a singular (completely) positive maps. Furthermore, if \({\mathcal M}\) is a factor then a unital complete positive map is a unique convex combination of unital normal and singular completely positive maps. We also used a duality argument to find a criteria for an element in the convex set of unital completely positive maps with a given faithful normal invariant state on \({\mathcal M}\) to be extremal. In our investigation, gauge symmetry in the minimal Stinespring representation of a completely positive map and Kadison theorem on order isomorphism played an important role.