On a categorical framework for classifying \(C^\ast\)-dynamics up to cocycle conjugacy (Q2227547)

The successes of the classification program for simple \(C^\ast\)-algebras have led to a lot of recent work that aims at classifying group actions on \(C^\ast\)-algebras. In this setting, it is not realistic to attempt a classification up to isomorphism. At best, one would hope to classify actions up to cocycle conjugacy. Several basic results in the classification program have to be adapted slightly in order to work in this setting. This article studies these results rather systematically, culminating in some basic results on strongly self-absorbing actions. First, the author develops several categories where the arrows combine *-homomorphisms and unitary cocycles. The objects are \(C^\ast\)-algebras with twisted actions of a fixed group \(G\). For a non-unital \(C^\ast\)-algebra \(A\), the unitaries in twists and cocycles are either taken in the multiplier algebra \(M(A)\) or in \(1+A\). If multipliers are allowed, then the *-homomorphisms must be nondegenerate or at least strictly continuous, so that they extend to the multiplier algebra. Some constructions require *-homomorphisms \(A\to B\), others allow *-homomorphisms \(A\to M(B)\) into the multiplier algebra of \(B\). This is the reason why one needs several different categories. The article defines these categories carefully and shows that the crossed product is functorial for all of them. The arrow spaces in these categories are equipped with topologies. These allow to define approximate and asymptotic unitary equivalence of the arrows. It is clarified that the relation of approximate unitary equivalence is usually not symmetric. It does behave well, however, for composition of arrows. A major goal of the article is to carry over the Elliott intertwining argument. A first step is to build inductive limits for cocycle morphisms, based on the usual inductive limit construction for \(C^\ast\)-algebras. If the cocycles and twists belong to \(1+A\), then the two-sided Elliott intertwining theorem is a special case of known theorems (see Theorem~3.1). For general multiplier-valued cocycles, the article proves that the Elliott intertwining argument continues to work by adapting the usual proofs. As a consequence, two twisted actions are cocycle conjugate if there are cocycle morphisms back and forth whose composites are approximately unitarily equivalent to identity morphisms. In addition, the cocycle conjugacies may be taken to be approximately unitarily equivalent to the given cocycle morphisms. The analogous results for asymptotic instead of approximate unitary equivalence are shown as well. In addition, it is shown when an approximate morphism lifts to a genuine cocycle morphism. The article then studies the appropriate notion of strongly self-absorbing group actions, which was called ``semi-strongly self-absorbing'' previously. This property is characterised as in the non-equivariant case by an approximately inner half-flip and a unital equivariant *-homomorphism to a central sequence algebra. Theorem~5.6 gives a criterion for a general action to absorb a strongly self-absorbing action. Finally, the article also links the cocycle category to the equivariant Kasparov category and discusses a version of the Cuntz picture of equivariant KK that is based on cocycle morphisms.