All Questions
Tagged with operator-algebras or oa.operator-algebras
2,152 questions
81
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Norms of commutators
If an $n$ by $n$ complex matrix $A$ has trace zero, then it is a commutator, which means that there are $n$ by $n$ matrices $B$ and $C$ so that $A= BC-CB$. What is the order of the best constant $\...
- 31.5k
69
votes
4
answers
13k
views
What is a foliation and why should I care?
The title says everything but while it is a little bit provocative let me elaborate a bit about my question. First time when I met the foliation it was just an isolated example in the differential ...
- 9,330
63
votes
7
answers
5k
views
What well known results with countability assumptions can be naturally extended to uncountable settings?
In many of the common categories of spaces (or algebras) in mathematics, one often restricts attention to those spaces or algebras which are "countable" or "countably generated" in ...
52
votes
2
answers
3k
views
vector balancing problem
I believe the solution posted to the arXiv on June 17 by Marcus, Spielman, and Srivastava is correct.
This problem may be hard, so I don't expect an off-the-cuff solution. But can anyone suggest ...
- 42.8k
47
votes
3
answers
10k
views
Quantum mechanics formalism and C*-algebras
Many authors (e.g Landsman, Gleason) have stated that in quantum mechanics, the observables of a system can be taken to be the self-adjoint elements of an appropriate C*-algebra. However, many ...
- 573
43
votes
8
answers
3k
views
How to quantify noncommutativity?
If I have two operators or finite-dimensional matrices $A$ and $B$, how can I quantify the amount to which they commute or don't commute? (I would consider it a big plus if it is computable easily for ...
- 1,890
40
votes
9
answers
10k
views
Simplest examples of rings that are not isomorphic to their opposites
What are the simplest examples of
rings that are not isomorphic to their
opposite rings? Is there a science to constructing them?
The only simple example known to me:
In Jacobson's Basic Algebra (...
- 5,654
39
votes
6
answers
7k
views
A remark of Connes on non-standard analysis
In an interview (at http://www.alainconnes.org/docs/Inteng.pdf) Connes remarks that
I had been working on non-standard analysis, but after a while I had found a catch in the theory.... The point is ...
- 1,131
38
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Why should algebraic objects have naturally associated topological spaces? (Formerly: What is a topological space?)
In this question, Harry Gindi states:
The fact that a commutative ring has a natural topological space associated with it is a really interesting coincidence.
Moreover, in the answers, Pete L. ...
- 21k
37
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Reference for the Gelfand duality theorem for commutative von Neumann algebras
The Gelfand duality theorem for commutative von Neumann algebras states that the following three categories are equivalent:
(1) The opposite category of the category of commutative von Neumann ...
- 37.8k
37
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Moving one family of commuting self-adjoint operators to another without losing commutativity on the way
This is actually not a question of mine, so I'll be short on motivation and say nothing beyond that if this were true, a few fancy harmonic analysis techniques that a colleague of mine used in proving ...
- 61.9k
35
votes
6
answers
6k
views
Applications of noncommutative geometry
This is related to Anweshi's question about theories of noncommutative geometry.
Let's start out by saying that I live, mostly, in a commutative universe. The only noncommutative rings I have much ...
- 16k
35
votes
2
answers
9k
views
tr(ab) = tr(ba)?
It is well known that given two Hilbert-Schmidt operators $a$ and $b$ on a Hilbert space $H$, their product is trace class and $tr(ab)=tr(ba)$. A similar result holds for $a$ bounded and $b$ trace ...
- 43.2k
34
votes
3
answers
8k
views
What are the applications of operator algebras to other areas?
Question: What are the applications of operator algebras to other areas?
More precisely, I would like to know the results in mathematical areas outside of operator algebras which were proved by ...
34
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Can we recover a von Neumann algebra from its predual?
By definition, a von Neumann algebra is a C*‑algebra A
that admits a predual, i.e., a Banach space Z such that
Z* is isomorphic to the underlying Banach space of A.
(We require that isomorphisms in ...
- 37.8k
33
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Reference request for translating from Top to C*-alg
Some recent questions on MO (for example, Do subalgebras of C(X) admit a description in terms of the compact Hausdorff space X?) have been about Gelfand duality — namely, that the categories of ...
- 18.7k
33
votes
5
answers
3k
views
How to define a differential form on a fractal?
It is well known how to construct a Laplacian on a fractal using the Dirichlet forms (see e.g.
the survey article by Strichartz). This implies, in particular, that a fractal can be "heated", i.e. one ...
- 22.3k
33
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Are the norms of graphs dense in any interval?
It is known that there is a gap between 2 and the next largest norm of a graph.
Is there an interval of the real line in which norms of graphs are dense?
- 528
33
votes
1
answer
4k
views
What about nonassociative geometry?
At the conclusion of a conference delivered by Alain Connes in 2000 (video in French at 1:19:25), an audience member posed a question. Below is a polished translated transcription:
Audience:
You have ...
33
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Subalgebras of von Neumann algebras
In the late 70s, Cuntz and Behncke had a paper
H. Behncke and J. Cuntz, Local Completeness of Operator Algebras, Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society, Vol. 62, No. 1 (Jan., 1977), pp. 95-...
- 25.5k
32
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What does it mean for a category to admit direct integrals?
Given an infinite countable group $G$, the category of unitary representations of $G$ admits direct integrals.
Namely, given a measure space $(X,\mu)$ and a measurable family of unitary $G$-reps $(H_x)...
- 43.2k
31
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Szőkefalvi-Nagy's unitarizability theorem in the Calkin algebra?
Here's a research problem, which I think interesting.
Suppose that $t$ is an invertible element in the Calkin algebra $\mathcal{Q} = \mathcal{B}(\ell_2)/\mathcal{K}(\ell_2)$ which satisfies $\sup_{n \...
- 10.1k
31
votes
0
answers
1k
views
When are two C*-algebras isomorphic as Banach spaces?
We may consider each $C^*$-algebra as a Banach space (by forgetting the multiplication and adjoint). I wonder how drastic this step is, i.e., which properties of the $C^*$-algebra are reflected by its ...
- 3,497
30
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Is every maximal ideal in a C*-algebra always closed?
I wonder if every maximal two-sided (self-adjoint) ideal in a C*-algebra is automatically closed. It is a very basic fact of C*-algebra theory that it holds true for the unital case. In the non-unital ...
- 10.1k
28
votes
6
answers
6k
views
Any real contribution of functional analysis to quantum theory as a branch of physics?
In the last paragraph of this last paper of Klaas Landsman, you can read:
Finally, let me note that this was a winner's (or "whig") history, full of hero-worship: following in the footsteps of ...
28
votes
0
answers
2k
views
Finite-dimensional subalgebras of $C^\star$-algebras
Let $A$ be a unital $C^\star$-algebra and let $a_1,\dots,a_n$ be a finite list of normal elements in $A$ which (together with their adjoints) generate a norm-dense $\star$-subalgebra $B \subset A$. ...
- 25.5k
27
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Unital $C^{*}$ algebras whose all elements have path connected spectrum
A unital $C^{*}$ algebra is called a "Path connected algebra" if the spectrum of all its elements is a path connected subset of $\mathbb{C}$.
What is an example of a non commutative ...
- 356
26
votes
8
answers
16k
views
Is it possible to start a PhD in mathematics at the age of 29? [duplicate]
I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. I was initially focused on branches in analysis like operator algebra. At the third year of my undergraduate study, I experienced a financial ...
26
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Commutative subalgebras of M_n
For a given $n$, is there any characterization for the commutative subalgebras of $M_n(\Bbb{C})$? I would like to know how many commutative subalgebras there are for each possible dimension.
In view ...
- 397
26
votes
8
answers
3k
views
Bimodules in geometry
Grothendieck's approach to algebraic geometry in particular tells us to treat all rings as rings of functions
on some sort of space. This can also be applied outside of scheme theory (e.g., Gelfand-...
- 37.8k
26
votes
3
answers
2k
views
About the category of von neumann algebras
I am looking for one (or more) reference about properties of the category of von Neumann algebra.
More precisely, in an answer of a previous question, Dmitri Pavlov mentions
that the $W^*$ category ...
- 357
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
26
votes
0
answers
2k
views
What do you like in the mathematics of Vaughan Jones? And how Vaughan Jones liked mathematics to be? [closed]
Edit: Directed to mathematicians ,I think this is a suitable time to open this question to know more about the creative mathematician Vaughan Jones Probably his students are ready for getting answers ...
25
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Why did Voiculescu develop free probability?
I was recently asked why Voiculescu developed free probability theory. I am not very expert in this and the only answer I was able to provide is the classical one: he was challenging the isomorphism ...
- 6,034
25
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Can nuclearity be determined by tensoring with a single C*-algebra?
A C*-algebra is nuclear if the algebraic tensor product $A\odot B$ ($B$ is any other C*-algebra) admits a unique C*-norm. This definition requires testing the condition for nuclearity with `all' C*-...
- 505
24
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Does left-invertible imply invertible in full group C*-algebras (discrete case)?
The following question/problem has been bugging me on and off for some time now: so I thought it might be worth broaching here on MO, as a case of "ask the experts".
Let $G$ be a discrete group. ...
- 25.8k
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
2
answers
3k
views
States in C*-algebras and their origin in physics?
in $C^*-$algebras with unit element, there is the definition of a state, as a functional $\omega$ with $\omega(e)=||\omega||=1.$
Now, of course there is also in classical physics and quantum ...
- 243
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
23
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Relative commutants of abelian von Neumann algebras
This question arose from the discussion over at the question Centralizers in $C^*$-algebras.
Which von Neumann algebras $N$ satisfy the property that $A' \cap N = B' \cap N \implies A = B$, for all ...
- 4,624
22
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Rigorous justification for this formal solution to $f(x+1)+f(x)=g(x)$
Let $g\in C(\Bbb R)$ be given, we want to find a solution $f\in C(\Bbb R)$ of the equation
$$
f(x+1) + f(x) = g(x).
$$
We may rewrite the equation using the right-shift operator $(Tf)(x) = f(x+1)$...
- 1,245
22
votes
4
answers
6k
views
What's a noncommutative set?
This issue is for logicians and operator algebraists (but also for anyone who is interested).
Let's start by short reminders on von Neumann algebra (for more details, see [J], [T], [W]):
Let $H$ ...
22
votes
1
answer
745
views
The Mackey Topology on a Von Neumann Algebra
Every von Neumann algebra $\mathcal M$ is the dual of a unique Banach space $\mathcal M_* $. The Mackey topology on $\mathcal M$ is the topology of uniform convergence on weakly compact subsets of $\...
- 1,199
22
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Non weakly-group-theoretical integral fusion category
Is there an integral fusion category of rank $7$, FPdim $210$ and type $(1,5,5,5,6,7,7)$ with the following fusion rules (or the little $\color{purple}{\text{variation}}$ below)?
$$\scriptsize{\begin{...
21
votes
2
answers
944
views
Which p-adic algebraic groups are type I?
It was proved by Jacques Dixmier (Sur les représentations unitaires des groupes de Lie algébriques, Annales de l'institut Fourier, 7 (1957), p. 315-328, doi: 10.5802/aif.73, MR 20 #5820, Zbl 0080....
- 11.1k
21
votes
3
answers
3k
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Noncommutative smooth manifolds
Connes defined a noncommutative analog of a closed oriented Riemannian spin^c manifold using spectral triples.
Using his definition it is unclear how to separate the smooth structure from the metric.
...
- 37.8k
21
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Banach spaces with few linear operators ?
Sometimes, dealing with the concrete and familiar Banach spaces of everyday life in maths, I happen nevertheless to ask myself about the generality of certain constructions. But, as I try to abstract ...
- 60.5k
21
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Separating pure states on the $2\times 2$ matrix algebra
I have an idea for a possible counterexample to the noncommutative Stone-Weierstrass problem. A good answer to the following question would really help.
Let $\mathcal{A}$ be the C*-algebra of $2\...
- 42.8k
21
votes
1
answer
835
views
On complemented von Neumann algebras
Edit: according to Narutaka Ozawa, question 3) is still open in the type $\mathrm{II}_1$ case. In other terms, it is not known whether every topologically complemented type $\mathrm{II}_1$ factor in $...
- 660
21
votes
1
answer
1k
views
"Minimal" group C*-algebra?
Let $\Gamma$ be a discrete group (though this could be asked for general locally compact groups) and consider the Banach $*$-algebra $\ell^1(\Gamma)$. We have two natural $C^*$-algebra completions: ...
- 18.7k