Biflatness of \(\ell^1\)-semilattice algebras (Q2461628)

Given a semigroup \(S\), the Banach space \(\ell^1(S)\) becomes a Banach algebra both under pointwise multiplication and under the convolution product. A commutative semigroup is called a semilattice if each of its elements is idempotent. In [Proc. R. Soc. Edinb., Sect. A 80, 309--321 (1978; Zbl 0393.22004)], \textit{J. Duncan} and \textit{I. Namioka} showed that the convolution algebra \(\ell^1(S)\) is an amenable Banach algebra if and only if \(S\) is finite. In the paper under review, the author examines when \(\ell^1(S)\) has the weaker Banach algebraic property of biflatness in the sense of [\textit{A. Ya. Khelemskij}, ``The hohomology of Banach and topological algebras'' (Mathematics and Its Applications, Soviet Series 41, Dordrecht etc.:\ Kluwer Academic Publishers) (1989; Zbl 0695.46033)]. He characterizes those semilattices \(S\) such that \(\ell^1(S)\) is biflat as the uniformly locally finite ones, i.e., there is \(C > 0\) such that, for each \(x \in S\), the set \(\{ y \in S: yx =y \}\) has at most \(C\) elements. As a by-product of his proof, he obtains that, if the convolution \(\ell^1(S)\) is biflat, then it is isomorphic to \(\ell^1(S)\) with the pointwise product and thus even enjoys the stronger homological property of biprojectivity. The paper concludes with a sketch of how analogous results can be obtained for the convolution algebras of Clifford semigroups.