All Questions
Tagged with gr.group-theory oa.operator-algebras
139 questions
26
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Finite subgroups of unitary groups
Let $n$ be an integer. Camille Jordan showed that there exists some $m \in {\mathbb N}$ (depending on $n$), such that for any pair of $n \times n$-unitaries $u,v \in U(n)$ which generate a finite ...
- 25.5k
23
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Why are subfactors interesting?
I get asked this question a lot, and am not very happy with any of the answers.
Vaguely I think of subfactor theory as a generalization of representation theory of groups. That is, if you have a ...
23
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Are almost commuting hermitian matrices close to commuting matrices (in the 2-norm)?
I consider on $M_n(\mathbb C)$ the normalized $2$-norm, i.e. the norm given by $\|A\|_2 = \sqrt{\mathrm{Tr}(A^* A)/n}$.
My question is whether a $k$-uple of hermitian matrices that are almost ...
- 9,486
20
votes
2
answers
869
views
C$^*$-algebras isomorphic after tensoring with $M_n(\mathbb C)$
In 1977, Joan Plastiras gave a striking example of two non $*$-isomorphic C$^*$-algebras $\mathcal A$ and $\mathcal B$ such that $$\mathcal A \otimes M_2(\mathbb C) \simeq \mathcal B\otimes M_2(\...
- 3,984
19
votes
0
answers
472
views
On C*-rigidity problem for torsion-free groups
I'd like to address the $\mathrm{C}^\ast$-rigidity problem for
torsion-free groups (see
this paper),
which asks for non-isomorphic torsion-free groups with isomorphic
(reduced) group $\mathrm{C}^\ast$-...
- 10.1k
18
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Regarding Cayley Graphs of Property (T) Groups
A well-known application of Kazhdan's Property (T) is the construction of expander graphs. Background on this is discussed, for example, in this post on Terry Tao's blog. Essentially, Cayley graphs of ...
- 7,047
18
votes
2
answers
924
views
Which groups are the unitary group of a $C^*$-algebra
Which groups are the unitary group of a $C^*$-algebra?
Does anyone know anything in this direction?
- 221
17
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Connes' embedding conjecture for uncountable groups
In this topic, I will use the word uncountable group referring to groups whose cardinality is $\leq|\mathbb R|$.
Notation: $R$ is the hyperfinite $II_1$-factor, $\omega$ is a free ultrafilter on the ...
- 6,034
16
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Are there other semidirect product/crossed products in other areas
Suppose $(O, G, \alpha)$ is a triple where $O$ is some mathematical object, $G$ is a group and $\alpha : G \rightarrow Aut(O)$. Many different areas of mathematics study such triples. However, I only ...
- 3,984
15
votes
1
answer
686
views
Amenability of groups in terms of a perturbation condition
Let $G$ be a countable group and $\lambda \colon G \to U(\ell^2 G)$ its left-regular representation. Suppose that there exists a constant $C>0$ such that for all $T \in B(\ell^2 G)$
$$\inf \lbrace\...
- 25.5k
14
votes
2
answers
959
views
Groups which are only defined up to conjugation
I'm trying to understand what the right way is to think about "groups which are only well-defined up to conjugation." Since this is somewhat vague let me clarify it by pointing out the main examples ...
- 28.1k
13
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Zero divisor conjecture and idempotent conjecture
Let $G$ be a torsion-free group and $C$ the ring of complex numbers. The zero divisor (idempotent, resp.) conjecture is that there is no nontrivial zerodivisor (idempotent, resp.) in $CG$.
The wiki ...
- 1,373
13
votes
2
answers
582
views
Do subgroups have "two sided bases"?
Let $H\leq G$ be an inclusion of finite groups. Define a map $E\colon \mathbb{C}[G]\to \mathbb{C}[H]$ to be the $\mathbb{C}$-linear extension of
$$
E(g)=\begin{cases}
g &\text{if } g\in H\\\
0 &...
- 5,425
13
votes
1
answer
404
views
Self map of unitary group
Let $H$ be a Hilbert space and let $u_1 \in U(H)$ be a unitary operator on $H$. Consider the self-map $w: U(H) \to U(H)$ which is given by
$$w(v) := v^2 u_1 v^{-1}.$$
Since $U(H)$ is connected, there ...
- 25.5k
13
votes
0
answers
474
views
Does anybody know if the Fourier algebra of SL(3,Z) has an approximate identity?
(Note to those who like to tidy LaTeX, or ${\rm \LaTeX}$: I kindly request that you don't put any LaTeX in the title of this question, nor change the bolds below to blackboard bold.)$\newcommand{\FA}{{...
- 25.8k
12
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Group ring and left zero divisor
Let $K$ be a finite field and $G$ be a discrete group.
Is it true that for every $a,b\in K[G]$ the condition $ab=0$ implies $ba=0$?
It does not seem to be related to zero divisor problem, any ...
- 4,705
12
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Is there a purely group-theoretic reformulation of an equivalence of subgroups?
There is an equivalence relation between inclusion of finite groups coming from the world of subfactors:
Definition: $(H_{1} \subset G_{1}) \sim(H_{2} \subset G_{2})$ if $(R^{G_{1}} \subset R^{H_{1}}...
12
votes
2
answers
341
views
Which $K$-groups $K(C^*_r(G))$ are computed?
We have the Pimsner-Voiculescu exact sequences and the Baum-Connes map
for possible computation of the $K$-theory of the reduced group $C^*$-algebra $C^*_r(G)$ for a topological, locally compact, ...
- 685
12
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Do Burnside Group Factors have Gamma?
The Free Burnside group $G=B(2,665)=\langle a,b|g^{665} \rangle$ is infinite, by the work of Adyan and Novikov. Furthermore, the centralizer of any nonidentity element in $G$ is finite cyclic, and so ...
- 7,047
12
votes
0
answers
373
views
Does Thompson's group $V$ have property AP?
Property AP: A discrete group $\Gamma$ has property AP (Approximation Property) if there exists a net $(\phi_i)_{i \in I}$ of finitely supported functions on $\Gamma$ such that $\phi_i \to 1 $ weak$^*$...
11
votes
2
answers
635
views
Quasinilpotent elements of group C-star algebras
If $G$ is a discrete torsion-free group, can its (reduced or full) group C-star algebra contain non-zero quasinilpotent elements? I've seen various examples in the group von Neumann algebra setting (...
- 25.8k
11
votes
2
answers
537
views
Groups without property (T) but all finite quotients are expanders
What is an example of a group $G$ which
1- is finitely generated by $S$,
2- does not have property (T),
3- admits infinitely many finite quotients which do not factor through an homomorphism $G \...
- 4,422
11
votes
1
answer
633
views
Embedding the group von Neumann algebra into an injective von Neumann algebra on the same Hilbert space
Let $\Gamma$ be a discrete group, $\newcommand{\VN}{\rm VN}$
and let $\VN(\Gamma)$ denote its von Neumann algebra, regarded as a subalgebra of ${\sf B}(\ell^2(\Gamma))$. It is well known that $\VN(\...
- 25.8k
11
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Strong Atiyah conjecture
Who introduced the Strong Atiyah Conjecture?
Recall that the conjecture says the following. Let $G$ be a group, $A$ a $n\times n$-matrix over ${\mathbb Z}G$. We view $A$ as a bounded operator $l^2(...
user6976
11
votes
1
answer
678
views
For discrete groups, does the Haagerup property imply the AP of Haagerup-Kraus?
I don't expect to find an explicit counterexample to my question, because any example which was known to have the Haagerup property yet not have AP would have given an exact group without AP, and the ...
- 25.8k
11
votes
0
answers
373
views
Why are projectionless $C^*$-algebras important (Kadison's conjecture)
It was considered an important result for a long time to show that the reduced $C^*$-algebra of the free group $C^*_r(F_2)$ has no nontrivial projections. I believe this is also known as Kadison's ...
- 211
11
votes
0
answers
494
views
Groups with reduced C*-algebras of stable rank 1
Let $G$ be a countable discrete group, $C_r^*(G)$ its reduced $C^*$-algebra. We say that $G$ has stable rank 1 if $C_r^*(G)$ has stable rank one, that is, the set of invertible elements is dense in $...
- 2,648
10
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Kazhdan's property (T) vs. residual finiteness
I have asked this question already on mathstackexchange but got no answer (see https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1795795/kazhdans-property-t-vs-residual-finiteness) and it was suggested that I ...
- 721
10
votes
2
answers
941
views
Induced representations of topological groups
Sorry if this is a naive question-- I'm trying to learn this stuff (cross-posted from https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/89248/induced-representations-of-topological-groups)
If $G$ is a group ...
- 18.7k
10
votes
3
answers
1k
views
subgroup of SU(N) with maximal manifold dimension
Given the group SU(N) of NxN unitary matrices, does there exist a subgroup S
with a manifold dimension larger than the SU(N-1) manifold dimension and
smaller than the SU(N) one? S should not ...
- 1,207
10
votes
1
answer
786
views
Examples of groups without the n-positive approximation property
Let $G$ be a locally compact group and let $A(G)$ be the http://eom.springer.de/f/f120080.htm>Fourier algebra of $G$, which we view as the predual of the group von Neumann algebra $\mathcal M(G)$. ...
- 4,624
10
votes
0
answers
426
views
Twisted crossed product von Neumann Algebras
I asked a question over on Math.stackexchange a few days ago, but it didn't get much activity. Hopefully this question isn't considered too elementary by the standards of Mathoverflow. Here is what I ...
- 281
10
votes
0
answers
509
views
Lacunary hyperbolic groups and weak amenability
In the paper called Lacunary Hyperbolic group, Y. Ol'shanskii, D. Osin and M. Sapir define and characterize the lacunary hyperbolic groups, which contains the hyperbolic groups but also Tarski's ...
- 195
10
votes
0
answers
991
views
Centralizers of group actions
Let a locally compact group $G$ act on a probability space $(X,\mu)$. Define the centralizer by $C(G)=\{\Delta\in Aut(X,\mu)\mid \Delta(gx)=g\Delta(x)\text{ almost everywhere}\}$. $Aut(X,\mu)$ denotes ...
- 871
9
votes
2
answers
612
views
Dimensions of unitary representations of group extensions
Is the property of having a bound on the dimensions of irreducible representations preserved by an extension?
For example $G_1=\mathbb{Z}$ and $G_2=\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}$ are discrete abelian ...
- 165
9
votes
4
answers
513
views
Does such a subgroup exist?
I am looking for a certain masa in a $II_1$ factor which is singular and has nontrivial Takesaki invariant.
For this I am looking for an example of an inclusion of groups $H\subset G$ such that:
$G$ ...
- 363
9
votes
3
answers
451
views
Comparison between the operator norm and the $L^1$ norm on group algebras
Consider a discrete group $G$ and its group algebra over $\mathbb{C}$, $\mathbb{C}[G]$. There are four norms on it I wish to consider for this question:
The 2-norm given by $||\sum_{g \in G} c_gg||_2^...
- 2,800
9
votes
2
answers
928
views
Property (T) for pseudogroups
Let $H$ be a Hilbert space, $S(H)$ be the inverse semigroup (pseudogroup) of linear maps between (closed) subspaces of $H$ preserving the dot product (the operation is composition of partial maps). ...
user6976
9
votes
1
answer
372
views
Simplicity of group $C^\ast$-algebra implies fullness of group-von Neumann algebra?
Let $\Gamma$ be a discrete group whose reduced group $C^\ast$-algebra is simple. Can we conclude that the corresponding group-von Neumann algebra $\mathcal{L}(G)$ is a full $\text{II}_1$-factor, ...
- 741
9
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Ping Pong and Free Group Factors
This question concerns alternative characterizations of free group factors. The ping pong lemma is a well-known criteria for the freeness of a group. I've often wondered if there is a ping pong like ...
- 7,047
9
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Conjugacy classes and reduced group $C^*$-algebra of an amenable group
The reduced $C^*$-algebra of a non-abelian free group $G$ has a unique trace. Hence, there is no chance to separate conjugacy classes of group elements using traces on $C^\star_{red} G$. On the other ...
- 25.5k
9
votes
1
answer
521
views
Which group algebras in analysis are "true group algebras"?
Let $G$ be a group, $A$ a unital associative algebra over ${\mathbb C}$, and let us call a representation of $G$ in $A$ an arbitrary map $\pi:G\to A$ such that
$$
\pi(1)=1,\qquad \pi(a\cdot b)=\pi(a)\...
- 7,426
9
votes
1
answer
434
views
Questions on the group $\mathrm{GL}(H)$
$\DeclareMathOperator\GL{GL}\DeclareMathOperator\U{U}$Let $H$ be an infinite dimensional complex Hilbert space. Consider the group $\GL(H)$ of bounded invertible operators on $H$.
Question 1. I've ...
- 1,586
9
votes
0
answers
290
views
A robust version of Schur's lemma?
Does a robust version of Schur's lemma exist? Specifically, I was wondering about something like this:
Let $B$ be a bounded operator over a vector space $V$, with underlying field $\mathbb{C}$ and ...
- 91
9
votes
0
answers
230
views
Using Property (T) to approximate invertible matrices
In the wikipedia article for Kazhdan's Property (T), there's an intriguing application:
Similarly, groups with property (T) can be used to construct finite sets of invertible matrices which can ...
9
votes
0
answers
443
views
Residual finite dimensionality of surface groups
Alex Lubotzky and Yehuda Shalom have shown in Finite representations in the unitary dual and Ramanujan groups., (Discrete geometric analysis, 173–189, Contemp. Math., 347, Amer. Math. Soc., Providence,...
- 25.5k
8
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Is there an i.c.c. nonamenable simple group that is inner amenable?
A finitely presented, countable discrete group $G$ is amenable if there is a finitely additive measure $m$ on the subsets of $G \backslash${$e$} with total mass 1 and satisfying $m(gX)=mX$ for all $X\...
- 7,047
8
votes
1
answer
625
views
How big are the ultrapowers of the hyperfinite $II_1$-factor?
Let $R$ be the hyperfinite $II_1$-factor. It is well-known that it is the smallest $II_1$-factor, in the sense that every $II_1$-factor contains a copy of $R$.
Now, let $\omega$ be a free ...
- 6,034
8
votes
0
answers
189
views
Bi-exact groups and amenable actions on their compactifications
As defined in C$^∗$-algebras and finite-dimensional approximations by Brown and Ozawa, a discrete countable group $\Gamma$ is bi-exact if its action on $C(\Delta\Gamma):=C(\bar\Gamma)/c_0(\Gamma)$ is ...
8
votes
0
answers
613
views
McDuff groups and McDuff factors
I asked a question over on Math.Stackexchange with the same title, but I didn't get any activity over there, which made me think that the question would be better suited for MathOverflow. I suppose ...
- 281