Math 261y: von Neumann Algebras (Lecture 10)

September 23, 2011
The following result provides an intrinsic characterization of von Neumann algebras:Theorem 1. Let A be a C ∗ -algebra. Suppose there exists a Banach space E and a Banach space isomorphism
A ' E ∨ . Then there exists a von Neumann algebra B and an isomorphism of C ∗ -algebras A → B (in otherwords, A admits the structure of a von Neumann algebra).
We will prove Theorem 1 under the following additional assumption:(∗) For each a ∈ A, the operations la , ra : A → A given by left multiplication on A are continuous withrespect to the weak ∗-topology (arising from the identification A ' E ∨ ).
Remark 2. We have seen that every von Neumann algebra admits a Banach space predual, such that theweak ∗-topology coincides with the ultraweak topology. Since multiplication in a von Neumann algebra
is separately continuous in each variable for the ultraweak topology, condition (∗) is satisfied in any von
Neumann algebra.
Let us now explain the proof of Theorem 1. Fix an isomorphism φ : A → E ∨ . We can think of φ asgiving a bilinear pairing between A and E, which in turn determines a bounded operator φ0 : E → A∨ . Letφ̂ : A∨∨ → E ∨ denote the dual of φ0 . The map φ̂ is continuous with respect to the weak ∗-topologies on A∨∨
and M ∨ , respectively, and fits into a commutative diagram/ M∨;

φA
ρ

φ̂"
A∨∨ .
Here ρ is the canonical map from A into its double dual. The map φ̂ is uniquely determined by theseproperties (since A is dense in A∨∨ with respect to the weak ∗-topology). We have seen that A∨∨ admits thestructure of a von Neumann algebra, and that ρ can be considered as a C ∗ -algebra homomorphism whichexhibits A∨∨ as the von Neumann algebra envelope of A. Let r = φ−1 ◦ φ̂. Then r is a left inverse to thecanonical inclusion ρ : A → A∨∨ .
Fix an element a ∈ A. Let la : A → A denote the operation given by left multiplication by A, and letlρ(a) : A∨∨ → A∨∨ be defined similarly. Consider the diagram
A∨∨


r

/Ar


/ A.

lρ(a)

A∨∨laSince ρ is an algebra homomorphism, this diagram commutes on the subset ρ(A) ⊆ A∨∨ . Using assumption(∗), we see that all of the maps in this diagram are continuous if we regard A∨∨ and A ' E ∨ as equipped1with the weak ∗-topologies. Since the image of ρ is weak ∗-dense in A∨∨ , we conclude that the diagram
commutes.
Let K ⊆ A∨∨ denote the kernel of r. Since r is continuous with respect to the weak ∗-topologies, K isclosed with respect to the weak ∗-topology on A∨∨ (which coincides with the ultraweak topology). If x ∈ K,
we haver(ρ(a)x) = ar(x) = 0
so that ρ(a)x = K. The set {y ∈ A∨∨ : yx ∈ K} is ultraweakly closed (since multiplication by x isultraweakly continuous) and contains the image of ρ. Since ρ(A) is ultraweakly dense in A∨∨ , we deducethat {y ∈ A∨∨ : yx ∈ K} contains all of A∨∨ . It follows that K is a left ideal in A∨∨ .
The same argument shows that K is a right ideal in A∨∨ . Since K is ultraweakly closed, the results of
the last lecture show that K is a ∗-ideal, and that the von Neumann algebra A∨∨ decomposes as a productA∨∨ ' A∨∨ /K × K.
Set B = A∨∨ /K. The composite map
A → A∨∨ → B
is a C ∗ -algebra homomorphism and an isomorphism on the level of vector spaces, hence an isomorphism ofC ∗ -algebras. This completes the proof of Theorem 1 (under the additional assumption (∗)).
In fact, we can say a bit more. Let us regard E as a subspace of its double dual E ∨∨ ' A∨ , so that every
vector e determines a functional µe : A → C. Every such functional extends to a weak ∗-continuous mapµ̂e : A∨∨ → C, given by the compositionφ̂eA∨∨ → E ∨ → C.
This composite map is ultraweakly continuous (since the weak ∗-topology on A∨∨ coincides with the ultraweak topology) and annihilates K (since K = ker(r) = ker(φ̂)). It follows that µ̂e descends to an ultraweakly
continuous functional B → C. In other words, the functional µe is ultraweakly continuous if we regard A asa von Neumann algebra using the isomorphism A ' B.
Let F ⊆ A∨ be the collection of ultraweakly continuous functionals with respect to our von Neumannalgebra structure on A, so that we can regard E as a closed subspace of F . Consider the composite map
A → A∨∨ → F ∨ → E ∨ .
Since A is a von Neumann algebra, the composition of the first two maps is an isomorphism. Since thecomposition of all three maps is an isomorphism by assumption, we conclude that the map F ∨ → E ∨ is anisomorphism. This implies that E = F : that is, E can be identified with the subspace of A∨ consisting of all
ultraweakly continuous functionals on A. In particular, the weak ∗-topology on A agrees with the ultraweak
topology given by the von Neumann algebra structure on A.
It is natural to ask to what extent the Banach space E appearing in Theorem 1 is unique. Suppose weare given two Banach spaces E and E 0 , together with isomorphisms
E ∨ ' A ' E 0∨ .
Can we then identify E with E 0 ? In this situation, we can think of E and E 0 as subspaces of the dual
space A∨ ; we then ask: do these subspaces necessarily coincide? Our analysis shows that E determines anisomorphism of A with a von Neumann algebra B, and that as a subspace of A∨ we can identify E withthose linear functionals which are ultraweakly continuous on B. Similarly, E 0 determines an isomorphism
A ' B 0 . Asking if E = E 0 (as subspaces of A∨ ) is equivalent to asking if the C ∗ -algebra isomorphism
B ' A ' B 0 carries ultraweakly continuous functionals on B to ultraweakly continuous functionals on B 0 .
We can therefore phrase the question as follows:
Question 3. Let B and B 0 be von Neumann algebras, and let f : B → B 0 be a ∗-algebra isomorphism. Is fnecessarily an isomorphism of von Neumann algebras? That is, is f automatically continuous with respect
to the ultraweak topologies?
2We will answer this question in the affirmative. Equivalently, we will show that the isomorphism f carries
ultraweakly continuous functionals µ on B 0 to ultraweakly continuous functionals on B. We first note thatit suffices to treat the case of positive functionals:
Lemma 4. Let B ⊆ B(V ) be a von Neumann algebra. Then the vector space of ultraweakly continuousfunctionals on B is generated by ultraweakly continuous states.
Proof. Every ultraweakly continuous functional µ : B → C is given by
Xµ(x) =(x(vi ), wi )PP
for some sequences of vectors vi , wi ∈ V with||vi ||2 < ∞, ||wi ||2 < ∞. Replacing V by V ⊕∞ , we may
assume that µ is given by µ(x) = (x(v), w). Then
1i
1i(x(v + w), v + w) + (x(v + iw), v + iw) + − (x(v − w), v − w) − (x(v − iw), v − iw)44
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4
is a linear combination of ultraweakly continuous positive functionals, each of which is a multiple of an
ultraweakly continuous state.
µ(x) =Definition 5. Let B be a von Neumann algebra. We say that an element e ∈ B is a projection if e is
Hermitian and e2 = e. Given a pair of projections e and e0 , we will write e ≤ e0 if ee0 = e0 e = e. We saythat e and e0 are orthogonal if ee0 = e0 e = 0. In this case, e + e0 is also a projection, satisfyinge ≤ e + e0 ≥ e0 .
If B is given as the set of bounded operators on some Hilbert space V , then an element e ∈ B is a
projection if and only if it is given by orthogonal projection onto some closed subspace W ⊆ V . Let us
denote such a projection by eW . Note that eW ≤ eW 0 if and only if W ⊆ W 0 , and that eW and eW 0 areorthogonal if and only if W and W 0 are orthogonal.
Suppose we are given a collection of mutually orthogonal projections {eWα }α∈I in B.PLet W be the closed
subspace of V generated by the subspaces Wα . Then the collection of all finite sums α∈I0 eWα converges
to the projection eW in the ultraweak topology (in fact, it even converges in the ultrastrong topology). It
follows that eW ∈ B. We can characterize eW as the smallest projection satisfying eW ≥ eWα for every indexα.
We say that a state µ : B → C is completely additive if, for every collection of mutually orthogonal
projections {eα } in B, we haveXXµ(eα ) =µ(eα ).
ααIt is clear from the definition that every ultraweakly continuous state on a von Neumann algebra B iscompletely additive. In the next lecture, we will prove the converse:
Proposition 6. Let B be a von Neumann algebra and let µ : B → C be a completely additive state. Thenµ is ultraweakly continuous.
It is clear that any C ∗ -algebra isomorphism B ' B 0 carries completely additive states to completelyadditive states. Using Proposition 6, we deduce that such an isomorphism is ultraweakly continuous. Infact, we get the following more general result:Corollary 7. Let f : B → B 0 be a C ∗ -algebra homomorphism between von Neumann algebras. Then f isa von Neumann algebra homomorphism (that is, f is ultraweakly continuous) if and only if it satisfies thefollowing condition:(∗) ForP every collection of mutually orthogonal projections {eα } in B having sum e, we have f (e) =α f (eα ).
In particular, if f is an isomorphism of C ∗ -algebras, then f is ultraweakly continuous.

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