Lipschitz algebras and derivations of von Neumann algebras (Q1922143)

Analogous to the duality between a locally compact space \(X\) and the commutative \(C^*\)-algebra, \(C_0(X)\), of continuous functions on \(X\) that vanish at infinity, a bounded metric space \(X\) corresponds to the Lipschitz algebra, \(\text{Lip}(X)\), of Lipschitz functions. Such a Lipschitz algebra can be realized as the domain of an unbounded ultraweakly closed derivation on a commutative \(W^*\)-algebra \(\mathcal M\) with values in a commutative operator \(\mathcal M\)-module \(E\). In particular, for a Riemannian manifold \(X\) one has \({\mathcal M}=L^\infty(X)\), and \(E\) the tangent bimodule of measurable complex vector fields on \(X\). The derivation is just the gradient, and its domain \(\text{Lip}(X)\) can be defined with the set of \(f\in L^\infty(X)\) for which \([D,M_f]\) is bounded. Here, \(D\) denotes the infinitesimal generator of the geodesic flow on the unit sphere bundle over \(X\). On the other hand, the domain algebra of any such derivation arises in this way. Noncommutative Lipschitz algebras are also discussed, a special example being the algebra of ``noncommutative Lipschitz functions'' on the noncommutative torus, i.e. an appropriate subalgebra of the irrational rotation algebra.