All Questions
Tagged with gr.group-theory oa.operator-algebras
139 questions
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
1
vote
1
answer
89
views
Continuous functions on HLS groupoids
I am reading a paper about property (T) for groupoids: Topological property (T) for groupoids. In section 4.4 they discuss the HLS groupoids which I describe define here.
Let $\Gamma$ be a discrete ...
- 261
1
vote
0
answers
84
views
Can a limit of degenerate two-cocycles be non-degenerate?
Let $G$ be a discrete abelian group and $\omega\colon G\times G\to\mathbb{T}$ a two-cocycle on $G$. We say that $\omega$ is non-degenerate if for every $e\neq g\in G$ there exists $h\in G$ such that $\...
- 29
5
votes
0
answers
265
views
Failure of Tomiyama's property ($F$) for reduced group $C^*$-algebras
Are there known examples of discrete groups such that the minimal tensor product of their reduced group $C^\ast$-algebras does not have Tomiyama's property ($F$)?
Such groups must necessarily be non-...
- 51
4
votes
0
answers
220
views
Bochner theorem for (non-abelian) discrete groups
I am interested in Pontryagin duality-like theories for discrete groups, more particularly, whether an analogue to Bochner's theorem for abelian groups exists in the discrete non-finite and non-...
- 261
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
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
7
votes
0
answers
192
views
Reduced group C*-algebra $C^*_r(\mathbb{Z}/2*\mathbb{Z}/2)$: norm of specific elements
Consider the free product of $\mathbb{Z}/2$ with itself with generators
$$
\mathbb{Z}/2*\mathbb{Z}/2=\langle u,v\mid u^2=1=v^2\rangle
$$
and regard its group $C^*$-algebra
$$
C^*(\mathbb{Z}/2*\mathbb{...
- 598
5
votes
0
answers
117
views
Finitely presentable group with purely infinite full group $C^*$-algebra?
Does there exist an example of a finitely presentable group whose full group $C^*$-algebra is purely infinite,
resp. is it known to be impossible?
- 598
2
votes
0
answers
138
views
Update on Viskov's paper on random processes, Lagrange inversion, and the Heisenberg–Weyl algebra
"A Random Walk with a Skip-Free Component and the Lagrange Inversion Formula" by Viskov presents connections among Lagrange inversion and measures of random Lévy processes. The freely ...
- 10.5k
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
3
votes
0
answers
205
views
Status of RFD groups and $C^*$-algebras
Motivated by this question and its great answers, I become very curious to know what do we know about RFD (residually finite dimensional) groups and $C^*$-algebras, e.g. do we know how these ...
- 1,586
4
votes
1
answer
204
views
Making Hermitian matrices almost commute
Consider two Hermitian matrices $A, B \in \mathbb{C}^{n \times n}$. I'm interested in finding another Hermitian matrix $A'$ that is close to $A$ and almost commutes with $B$. More precisely, I'd like ...
- 209
7
votes
1
answer
306
views
Trans-amenability of group actions
This problem is derived from this post.
Let $G$ be a countable discrete group and $H\le G$ be a subgroup. Consider the $G$-action on $X=G/H$. Then the following amenability-like conditions are ...
- 10.1k
5
votes
0
answers
211
views
Weaker analogues of amenability for groups of piecewise projective homeomorphisms
Let $A$ be a subring of ${\bf R}$ and let $H(A)$ be the group defined/constructed in Monod's 2013 PNAS paper. Monod showed that provided $A\neq {\bf Z}$, $H(A)$ is non-amenable. (The proof breaks down ...
- 25.8k
7
votes
2
answers
869
views
Amenable action intuition
Let $\Gamma$ be a discrete group and $A$ be a $C^*$-algebra. Consider an action $\alpha: \Gamma \to \operatorname{Aut}(A)$. There is a notion of amenability for such an action (see e.g. Brown and ...
- 175
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 ...
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
7
votes
1
answer
403
views
Induction and restriction of unitary representations
$\DeclareMathOperator\Rep{Rep}\DeclareMathOperator\Ind{Ind}\DeclareMathOperator\Res{Res}$Given a locally compact group $G$ and a closed subgroup $H\subset G$,
let $\Rep(G)$ and $\Rep(H)$ denote their ...
- 43.2k
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
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
8
votes
0
answers
251
views
When does a semisimple $\mathbb{C}$-algebra come from a group?
Let $\mathcal{A}$ be a semisimple $\mathbb{C}$-algebra. By the Artin-Wedderburn theorem, it is isomorphic to a direct product of matrix algebras:
$$ \mathcal{A} = \prod_{i=1}^m M_{n_i}(\mathbb{C})$$
...
- 297
6
votes
1
answer
201
views
Averaging weakly almost periodic Schur multipliers
Let $\Gamma$ be a countable (discrete) group and let $\varphi:\Gamma\times\Gamma\to\mathbb{C}$ be a (non-equivariant) Schur multiplier. See Chapter 5 of [2] for details. Assume that, for all $t\in\...
- 81
2
votes
0
answers
99
views
Convergence of Brown measures
For each $n\in \mathbb N$, let $\mathcal M_n$ be a finite von Neumann algebra with a faithful trace $\tau_n$. Fix a non-principal ultrafilter $\omega$ on $\mathbb N$. Let $\mathcal M^\omega$ be the ...
- 1,418
6
votes
2
answers
874
views
Is the set of all ICC amenable groups countable?
Is the set of all ICC amenable groups countable?
If "yes", then in general, the classes of all countable ICC groups that give rise to the same von Neumann algebra (factor) -- are these ...
- 121
0
votes
1
answer
325
views
Group algebras and group automorphisms
Say, we have a countable ICC group $G$, a Hilbert space $H$ with a basis indexed by the group elements, the group algebra generated by the left regular representation of $G$ on this Hilbert space, and ...
- 121
5
votes
2
answers
297
views
Seeking to understand meaning of "von Neumann spectrum" in a paper of Bader–Furman–Shaker
In attempting to understand the paper "Superrigidity, Weyl groups, and actions on the circle" of Uri Bader, Alex Furman and Ali Shaker (linked at Furman's page)
I find that towards the end of the ...
- 2,075
4
votes
1
answer
199
views
Groups for which all projections of $C^*_{\text{red}}G$ belong to $\mathbb{C}G$
Revision: According to comment of Wojowu we give a complete revise for this post.
A group $G$ is a pr-group if all projections of $C^*_{\text{red}} G$ are contained in its dense subalgebra $\mathbb{...
- 356
7
votes
1
answer
476
views
How can one define a kind of "determinant" on a reduced group $C^*$ algebra?
Let $A$ be a unital $C^*$-algebra which is equipped with a faithful trace $T$. In particular we may consider $A=C^*_{\text{red}} (G)$ for some discrete group $G$. We consider the following ...
- 356
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Unusual crossed product constructions being factors
Let $A$ be an abelian von Neumann algebra and $G$ a countable group acting on $A$. In the literature we meet usually two kinds of crossed product $A \rtimes G$ being a factor:
if the action is (...
7
votes
0
answers
502
views
Abstract characterization of group von Neumann algebra (II1 factor)
The group von Neumann algebra $L\Gamma$ is a factor if and only if the group $\Gamma$ is ICC (i.e. infinite conjugacy class property). Moreover if $\Gamma$ is nontrivial then $L\Gamma$ is a $\mathrm{...
0
votes
1
answer
185
views
A subset (or subgroup) associated to a group
Edit: According to comment conversations we revise the question.
Let $G$ be a group. We consider the following subset of $G$:
$$\{g\in G \mid e^{\lambda_g} \in \mathbb{C}\lambda (G)\},$$
where $\...
- 356
4
votes
1
answer
261
views
Uniform Roe algebra of virtually abelian group is type I C*-algebra?
Let $G$ be an arbitrary (discrete) group. It acts by left translation on $\ell^\infty(G)$. The uniform Roe algebra of $G$ is defined as the crossed product $\ell^\infty (G) \rtimes_{\mathrm{red}}G$.
...
- 741
1
vote
0
answers
86
views
A cross product on $C^*_{red} G$
For every group $G$, the reduced group $C^*$-algebra $C^*_{red}G$ is equipped with the inner product $\langle a,b\rangle=tr(ab^*)$ where "$tr$" is the standard trace on group $C^*$-algebras.
For ...
- 356
1
vote
1
answer
113
views
Does this element belong to all powers of the augmentation ideal of the group algebra.
Let $G$ be a torsion free group, and let $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are elements in the augmentation ideal, $I$, of $\mathbb CG$, the group algebra of $G$. Assume that there exists complex numbers $a$ and $...
- 2,118
3
votes
3
answers
568
views
Free ergodic probability measure-preserving actions of the free group
Let $(X,\mathcal{B},\mu)$ be a standard Borel probability space. Let $\Gamma$ be a countable group.
An action of $\Gamma$ on $X$ is:
essentially free if for all $g \in \Gamma \setminus \{e \}$,...
3
votes
1
answer
388
views
Fundamental group and group measure space construction
Let $N$ be a type ${\rm II}$ factor, with trace $\tau$. Consider its fundamental group$$ \mathcal{F}(N)= \{ \tau(p)/\tau(q) \ | \ p,q \text{ non-zero finite projections in } N \text{ and } pNp \simeq ...
5
votes
1
answer
306
views
Cartan subalgebra and group measure space construction
Let $N$ be a ${\rm II}_1$ factor. A maximal abelian self-adjoint subalgebra (MASA) is a $*$-subalgebra $A \subset N$ such that $A' \cap N = A$. It is called a Cartan subalgebra if moreover $\mathcal{N}...
1
vote
0
answers
185
views
Unitary element of the group algebra
Let $G$ be a torsion free group. Are unitary elements of $\mathbb CG$ studied? By unitary element I mean an element $\alpha$ in $\mathbb CG$, such that $\alpha^*\alpha=1$? Do the triviality of unitary ...
- 2,118
3
votes
0
answers
109
views
Does this element belong to $\mathbb CG$?
Let $G$ be a torsion-free group. Let $\alpha$ be a symmetric element of $\mathbb CG$, i.e. $\alpha^*=\alpha$, with $\|\alpha\|_1=\sum|\alpha(g)|<1$, so $\beta:=\sum_{n\ge 0}(-1)^n\alpha^n$ is an ...
- 2,118
6
votes
1
answer
325
views
Direct proof of "Nuclear implies $C_{red}^*(G) \cong C^*(G)$"
It is well-known that for a discrete group $G$ the following statements are equivalent:
$C_{red}^*(G)$ nuclear
$C_{red}^*(G) \cong C^*(G)$ canonically i.e. there exists an *-isomorphism between the ...
- 741
5
votes
0
answers
296
views
Are these element in a group algebra of a torsion-free group zero divisors?
Let $G$ be an arbitrary torsion-free group. For $x,y\in G$, which of these elements can be decided immediately not to be zero divisors in $\mathbb ZG$ (or in $\mathbb CG$)?
$$1+x+y,\quad 4+x+x^{-1}+y+...
- 2,118
1
vote
0
answers
229
views
Tensor product decomposition of commuting representations
If $\mathscr{X}$ is a Hilbert space, we denote by $\mathrm{GL}(\mathscr{X})$ the group of all bounded operators on $\mathscr{X}$ with bounded inverses. Let $\mathbb{F}_2$ be the free group on two ...
- 1,769
2
votes
0
answers
201
views
An example of non trivial projections in a group von Neumann algebra
Let $G$ and $\text{vN}(G)$ be a torsion free group and its group von Neumann algebra. Is there a characterization of non trivial projections in $\text{vN}(G)$? If not, is a certain class of them ...
- 2,118
3
votes
1
answer
192
views
An analytical zero divisor
Let $G$, $\mathbb C[G]$ and $\text{vN}(G)$ be a torsion free group, it's group ring and group von Neumann algebra, resp.. Let $0\neq\alpha\in\mathbb C[G]$ and $0\neq p\neq1$ is a projection in the ...
- 2,118
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
4
votes
1
answer
229
views
About some positive elements in a group von Neumann algebra
Let $G$ be a (discrete) torsion free group with identity $e$. Recall that for an element $\alpha=\sum a_gg$ in $\mathbb C[G]$ (complex functions on $G$ with compact support), $\alpha^*$ is defined to ...
- 2,118
2
votes
1
answer
246
views
Does this sequence contain a nonnegative number?
Let $G$ be a (discrete) torsion free group with identity $e$. Recall that for an element $\alpha=\sum a_gg$ in $\mathbb C[G]$ (complex functions on $G$ with compact support), $\alpha^*$ is defined to ...
- 2,118
2
votes
2
answers
178
views
Point spectrum of a positive invertible operator
Let $G$ be a l.c. group and $f$ belong to $C_c(G)$, the space of continuous functions with compact support. Define an operator$T_f$ on $L^2(G)$ by $T_f(g)=f*g$ (the convolution product). If $T_f$ is ...
- 2,118
2
votes
1
answer
208
views
an example of discrete factor group of exponential growth
I would like to understand if there is a discrete infinite group of exponential growth/intermediate growth such that its group von Neumann algebra is a $II_1$ factor. I would be happy to get an ...
- 361