Jordan, Real and Lie Structures in Operator Algebras

The theory of operator algebras acting on a Hilbert space was initiated in thirties by papers of Murray and von Neumann. In these papers they have studied the structure of algebras which later were called von Neu mann algebras or W -algebras. They are weakly closed complex -algebras of operators on a Hilbert space. At present the theory of von Neumann algebras is a deeply developed theory with various applications. In the framework of von Neumann algebras theory the study of fac tors (i.e. W -algebras with trivial centres) is very important, since they are comparatively simple and investigation of general W -algebras can be reduced to the case of factors. Therefore the theory of factors is one of the main tools in the structure theory of von Neumann algebras. In the middle of sixtieth Topping [To 1] and Stormer [S 2] have ini tiated the study of Jordan (non associative and real) analogues of von Neumann algebras - so called JW-algebras, i.e. real linear spaces of self adjoint opera.tors on a complex Hilbert space, which contain the identity operator 1. closed with respect to the Jordan (i.e. symmetrised) product INTRODUCTION 2 x 0 y = ~(Xy + yx) and closed in the weak operator topology. The structure of these algebras has happened to be close to the struc ture of von Neumann algebras and it was possible to apply ideas and meth ods similar to von Neumann algebras theory in the study of JW-algebras.

Klappentext

This book develops a new approach to the study of infinite-dimensional Jordan and Lie algebras and real associative *-algebras of operators on a Hilbert space. All these algebras are canonically generated by involutive antiautomorphisms of von Neumann algebras. The first purpose of the book is to study the deep structure theory for Jordan operator algebras similar to (complex) von Neumann algebras theory, such as type classification, traces, conjugacy of automorphisms and antiautomorphisms, injectivity, amenability, and semidiscreteness. The second aim is to investigate pure algebraic problems concerning Jordan and Lie structure in prime and simple rings with involution in the frame work of operator algebras. These pure algebraic results give additional information on properties of single operators on a Hilbert space. Audience: This volume will be of interest to postgraduate students and specialists in the field of operator algebras, and algebraists whose work involves nonassociative and infinite-dimensional rings.

Inhalt
Preliminaries.- 1: Jordan Operator Algebras.- 2: Real Structure in W*-Algebras.- 3: Lie Structure in Operator Algebras.- References.