Lecture 1: Group C*-Algebras and Actions of Finite Groups on C*-Algebras 11–29 July 2016
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The Second Summer School on Operator Algebras and Noncommutative Geometry 2016 East China Normal University, Shanghai Lecture 1: Group C*-algebras and Actions of Finite Groups on C*-Algebras 11{29 July 2016 Lecture 1 (11 July 2016): Group C*-algebras and Actions of Finite N. Christopher Phillips Groups on C*-Algebras Lecture 2 (13 July 2016): Introduction to Crossed Products and More University of Oregon Examples of Actions. Lecture 3 (15 July 2016): Crossed Products by Finite Groups; the 11 July 2016 Rokhlin Property. Lecture 4 (18 July 2016): Crossed Products by Actions with the Rokhlin Property. Lecture 5 (19 July 2016): Crossed Products of Tracially AF Algebras by Actions with the Tracial Rokhlin Property. Lecture 6 (20 July 2016): Applications and Problems. N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 1 / 28 N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 2 / 28 A rough outline of all six lectures General motivation The material to be described is part of the structure and classification The beginning: The C*-algebra of a group. theory for simple nuclear C*-algebras (the Elliott program). More Actions of finite groups on C*-algebras and examples. specifically, it is about proving that C*-algebras which appear in other Crossed products by actions of finite groups: elementary theory. parts of the theory (in these lectures, certain kinds of crossed product C*-algebras) satisfy the hypotheses of known classification theorems. More examples of actions. Crossed products by actions of finite groups: Some examples. To keep things from being too complicated, we will consider crossed The Rokhlin property for actions of finite groups. products by actions of finite groups. Nevertheless, even in this case, one Examples of actions with the Rokhlin property. can see some of the techniques which are important in more general cases. Crossed products of AF algebras by actions with the Rokhlin property. Crossed product C*-algebras have long been important in operator Other crossed products by actions with the Rokhlin property. algebras, for reasons having nothing to do with the Elliott program. It has The tracial Rokhlin property for actions of finite groups. generally been difficult to prove that crossed products are classifiable, and there are really only three cases in which there is a somewhat satisfactory Examples of actions with the tracial Rokhlin property. theory: actions of finite groups on simple C*-algebras, free minimal actions Crossed products by actions with the tracial Rokhlin property. d of groups which are not too complicated (mostly, not too far from Z ) on Applications of the tracial Rokhlin property. compact metric spaces, and \strongly outer" actions of such groups on simple C*-algebras. N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 3 / 28 N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 4 / 28 Background Do the exercises! These lectures assume some familiarity with the basic theory of C*-algebras, as found, for example, in Murphy's book. K-theory will be There will be many exercises given, with varying levels of difficulty. To occasionally used, but not in an essential way. A few other concepts will really get to understand this material, please do them! be important, such as tracial rank zero. They will be defined as needed, and some basic properties mentioned, usually without proof. Various side comments will assume more background, but these can be skipped. (Many I am happy to talk to people about the exercises. side comments which should be made will be omitted entirely, for lack of time.) N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 5 / 28 N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 6 / 28 The beginning: The group ring The beginning: The group ring (continued) Let G be a finite group. Its group ring C[G] (a standard construction in G is a discrete group, and algebra) is, as a vector space, the set of formal linear combinations ( ) X X C[G] = ag · g : ag 2 C, ag = 0 for all but finitely many g 2 G : ag · g (1) g2G g2G Multiplication: (a · g)(b · h) = (ab) · (gh), extended linearly. of group elements with coefficients ag 2 C. (Formally: the free C-module on G.) The multiplication is (a · g)(b · h) = (ab) · (gh) for g; h 2 G and Recall the usual polynomial ring C[x]. Let hSi denote the ideal generated a; b 2 C, extended linearly. That is, the product comes from the group. by a set S. Also, abbreviate Z=nZ to Zn. (We won't use p-adic integers.) G need not be finite (but must be discrete), provided that in (1) one uses Example ∼ 2 only finite sums (ag = 0 for all but finitely many g 2 G). Take G = Z2. Then C[G] = C[x]=hx − 1i. The identity of the group is 1 Exercise and the nontrivial element is x. Prove that C[G] is an associative unital algebra over C. Exercise (easy) Check the statements made in the previous example. One can use any field (even ring) in place of C. The algebraists actually do this. Exercise (easy) Motivation: Representation theory (brief comments below). Generalize the previous example to Zn for n 2 N. N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 7 / 28 N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 8 / 28 The beginning: The group ring (continued) The beginning: The C*-algebra of a group G is a discrete group, and G is a discrete group, and ( ) X ( ) C[G] = ag · g : ag 2 C, ag = 0 for all but finitely many g 2 G : X C[G] = ag · g : ag 2 C, ag = 0 for all but finitely many g 2 G : g2G g2G Multiplication: (a · g)(b · h) = (ab) · (gh), extended linearly. ∗ −1 Multiplication: (a · g)(b · h) = (ab) · (gh), extended linearly. Make C[G] a *-algebra by making the group elements unitary: g = g . C*-algebraists thus usually write ug for the element g 2 C[G]. So ∼ 2 Recall: C[Z2] = C[x]=hx − 1i, with the nontrivial group element being x. ( ) X Example C[G] = ag · ug : ag 2 C, ag = 0 for all but finitely many g 2 G : g2G ∼ −1 Take G = Z. Then C[G] = C[x; x ], the ring of Laurent polynomials in k The multiplication is (a · ug )(b · uh) = (ab) · ugh for g; h 2 G and a; b 2 C, one variable. The group element k 2 Z is x . ∗ extended linearly, and the adjoint is (a · ug ) = aug −1 . Exercise (easy) Exercise Show that this adjoint in [G] is well defined, conjugate linear, reverses Check the statements made in the previous example. C multiplication: (xy)∗ = y ∗x∗, and satisfies (x∗)∗ = x. N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 9 / 28 N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 10 / 28 The beginning: The C*-algebra of a group (continued) The beginning: The C*-algebra of a group (continued) G is a discrete group, and G is a discrete group. Multiplication in C[G]: (a · ug )(b · uh) = (ab) · ugh. ∗ ( ) Adjoint: (a · u ) = au −1 . X g g C[G] = ag · ug : ag 2 C, ag = 0 for all but finitely many g 2 G : g2G If w is a unitary representation of G on a Hilbert space H (a group ∗ Multiplication: (a · ug )(b · uh) = (ab) · ugh. Adjoint: (a · ug ) = aug −1 . homomorphism g 7! wg from G to the group U(H) of unitary operators on H), then the unital *-homomorphism π : [G] ! L(H) is We still need a norm. We will assume G is finite; things are otherwise w C ! more complicated. First, a bit of representation theory. X X πw ag · ug = ag · wg : Let G be a discrete group, and let H be a Hilbert space. Let w be a g2G g2G unitary representation of G on H: a group homomorphism g 7! wg from G to the group U(H) of unitary operators on H. Then we define a linear Theorem map πw : [G] ! L(H) by C The assignment w 7! πw is a bijection from unitary representations of G ! X X on H to unital *-homomorphisms C[G] ! L(H). πw ag · ug = ag · wg : g2G g2G Exercise Exercise Prove this theorem. (To recover w from πw , look at πw (ug ).) Prove that πw is a unital *-homomorphism. N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 11 / 28 N. C. Phillips (U of Oregon) Group C*-Algebras, Actions of Finite Groups 11 July 2016 12 / 28 The left regular representation The norm on C ∗(G) G is a discrete group. Multiplication in C[G]: (a · ug )(b · uh) = (ab) · ugh. G is a discrete group. If w is a unitary representation of G on H, then ∗ Adjoint: (a · u ) = au −1 . P P g g πw : C[G] ! L(H) is πw g2G ag · ug = g2G ag · wg . Take H = l2(G), and let z be the left regular representation: If w is a unitary representation of G on H, then πw : [G] ! L(H) is the C −1 P P (zg ξ)(h) = ξ(g h).