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fixed mistake about all characters coming from integers
John Baez
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Yes, the group of automorphisms of $\ell^\infty(\mathbb{Z})$ preserving the $W^*$-algebra structure is the group of permutations of $\mathbb{Z}$.

On the one hand, any permutation of $\mathbb{Z}$ acts as an automorphism of $\ell^\infty(\mathbb{Z})$.

On the other hand, any $W^*$-algebra automorphism of $\ell^\infty(\mathbb{Z})$ sends characters - that is, homomorphisms $\chi: \ell^\infty(\mathbb{Z}) \to \mathbb{C}$ - to characters, so it defines a permutation of the characters. By the Gelfand-Naimark theorem, there is a compact Hausdorff space $\beta\mathbb{Z}$ called the Stone-Cech compactification of $\mathbb{Z}$ such that

$$\ell^\infty(\mathbb{Z}) \cong C(\beta\mathbb{Z}) $$

Points of $\beta\mathbb{Z}$ are the same as characters $\chi: \ell^\infty(\mathbb{Z}) \to \mathbb{C}$. Every point $n \in \mathbb{Z}$ defines a character $\chi$ by

$$ \chi(f) = f(n) $$

Not all characters are of this form, as pointed out by Yemon Choi and Uri Bader. However, the weak-$\ast$-continuous characters are. If $\alpha$ is a $W^*$-algebra automorphism of $\ell^\infty(\mathbb{Z})$ and $\chi$ is a weak-$\ast$-continuous character, $\chi \circ \alpha$ is again weak-$\ast$-continuous. So, every $W^*$-algebra automorphism of $\ell^\infty(\mathbb{Z})$ defines a permutation of the integers.

John Baez
  • 22.3k
  • 3
  • 85
  • 170