On character amenability of Banach algebras (Q929575)

The authors introduced in [Math.\ Proc.\ Camb.\ Philos.\ Soc.\ 144, No.\,1, 85--96 (2008; Zbl 1145.46027)] the concept of amenability with respect to a character. A complex Banach algebra \(A\) is said to be \(\varphi\)-amenable (for a given homomorphism \(\varphi\colon A\rightarrow\mathbb{C}\)) if there exists a bounded linear functional \(m\) on \(A^*\) such that \(m(\varphi)=1\) and \(m(f\cdot a)=\varphi(a)m(f)\) for all \(a\in A\) and \(f\in A^*\). Any such \(m\) is called a \(\varphi\)-mean. In the paper under review, the authors continue the investigation started in the above-mentioned paper. They give characterizations (in terms of cohomology groups and a Hahn--Banach type extension property) of \(\varphi\)-amenability. On the other hand, the authors give various criteria for the existence of \(\varphi\)-means of norm \(1\) and determine the size of the set of \(\varphi\)-means for a separable weakly sequentially complete Banach algebra \(A\) with no \(\varphi\)-mean in \(A\) itself.