Completely additive measures on von Neumann algebras (Q1128358)

Let \(M\) be a von Neumann algebra, \(P(M)\) the lattice of projections in \(M\). A function \(m: P(M)\to\mathbb{R}\) is a measure if, whenever \(p\) and \(q\) are orthogonal projections, \(m(p+ q)= m(p)+ m(q)\). It is completely additive if, whenever \(\{p_i, i\in I\}\) is a family of pairwise orthogonal projections in \(M\), then \(m(\Sigma p_i)= \Sigma m(p_i)\). If \(m\) takes its values in nonnegative numbers then, it is clear, its values are bounded (\(m(p)\leq m(\mathbf{1})\) for each \(p\in P(M)\)). But if \(m\) takes both positive and negative values then (unlike to the classical measures) the situation is quite different. Dorofeev and Sherstnev showed that for each \(n\geq 2\) there exists a real-valued measure \(m\) on the algebra \(M_n\) of all \(n\) by \(n\) complex matrices, such that \(m\) does not take infinite values but \(m\) is not bounded. In a sequence of deep papers, they also proved that if \(M\) is a von Neumann algebra with no direct summands of type \(I_n\) \((n\geq 2)\) then every completely additive measure on \(P(M)\) is bounded. In the present paper, the authors obtain the following generalization of the above result of Dorofeev-Sherstnev. Let \(M\) be a von Neumann algebra which does not have any direct summands isomorphic to \(M_n\) \((n\geq 2)\). Then every completely additive measure on \(M\) is bounded.