Banach space characterizations of unitaries: a survey (Q982578)

This excellent note surveys a wide collection of results characterizing unitary elements in \(C^*\)-algebras, \(JB^*\)-triples and \(JB^*\)-algebras in terms of the (geometric) structure of the underlying Banach space. The paper collects most of the results obtained in this line of research during the last fifty-five years and is organized to provide the reader with a unifying point of view of those results dispersively obtained over the last years. Although the results were previously known or easily derived from well-known results, the paper offers, in most of the cases, new and/or simplified proofs. The starting point of the paper is the Bohnenblust-Karlin theorem [\textit{H. F. Bohnenblust} and \textit{S. Karlim}, Ann. Math. (2) 62, 217--229 (1955; Zbl 0067.35002)] which asserts that the unit of every norm-unital complex Banach algebra is a vertex of the closed unit ball of the algebra (a purely Banach space notion), and that vertices of the closed unit ball of a unital \(C^*\)-algebra are precisely the unitary elements of the algebra (a purely algebraic notion). Section 2 reviews the Banach space characterizations of unitary elements in C\(^*\)-algebras in detail, exploring the connections of the Bohnenblust-Karlin theorem with the characterization obtained implicitly by \textit{R. V. Kadison} in [Ann. Math. (2) 54, 325--338 (1951; Zbl 0045.06201)] and the recent rediscoverings due to \textit{C. Akemann} and \textit{N. Weaver} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 130, No. 10, 3033--3037 (2002; Zbl 1035.46038)] and \textit{P. Bandyopadhyay, K. Jarosz} and \textit{T. S. S. R. K. Rao} [Ill. J. Math. 48, No. 1, 339--351 (2004; Zbl 1047.46010)]. Section 3 surveys the geometric characterization of unitary elements in (complex) \(JB^*\)-triples and some related results. Recall that an element \(u\) in a \(JB^*\)-triple \(E\) is a unitary if the identity \(\{u,\{u,x,u\},u\} = x\) holds for every \(x\in E\). Unitaries in \(JB^*\)-triples are examples of tripotents (i.e., elements \(e\) such that \(\{e,e,e\} = e\)). In the particular case of \(C^*\)-algebras, tripotents are usually called partial isometries. For elements in the wider class of tripotents in a real or complex \(JB^*\)-triple, a geometric characterization in terms of the underlying Banach space was obtained by \textit{F. J. Fernández-Polo, J. M. Moreno} and the reviewer in [J.~Math. Anal. Appl. 295, No. 2, 435--443 (2004; Zbl 1058.46033)], a characterization which generalizes a previous result for \(C^*\)-algebras due to \textit{C. Akemann} and \textit{N. Weaver} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 130, No. 10, 3033--3037 (2002; Zbl 1035.46038)]. Section 4 deals with the study of unitary elements in the class of real \(JB^*\)-triples (i.e., closed real subtriples of complex \(JB^*\)-triples). In the setting of real \(JB^*\)-triples, a Banach space characterization of unitaries cannot be, in general, established. However, in the subclass of \(JB\)-algebras, a geometric characterization is stated. This section also contains a study of the extreme points of the closed unit ball of a JB-algebra (resp., a real \(JB^*\)-algebra) and a topological-algebraic characterization of the surjective linear isometries between real \(JB^*\)-algebras which generalizes a result due to \textit{F. J. Fernández-Polo, J. M. Moreno} and the reviewer [J.~Math. Anal. Appl. 295, No. 2, 435--443 (2004; Zbl 1070.46037]. The section culminates with a review of a recent result due to \textit{C.-W. Leung, C.-K. Ng} and \textit{N.-C. Wong} which determines the vertices of the closed unit ball of a \(JB\)-algebra [J.~Math. Anal. Appl. 360, No. 2, 491--494 (2009; Zbl 1189.46060)]. In the last section, the author explores the notions of norm-norm and norm-weak upper semi-continuity of the duality mapping of a Banach space at a point. Although these notions were not motivated by any Banach algebra question or result, the paper reveals the strong connections appearing with the material previously reviewed. Appealing to results on the norm-weak upper semi-continuity of the pre-duality mapping of a dual Banach space obtained by \textit{G. Godefroy} and \textit{V. Indumathi} [Set-Valued Anal. 10, No. 4, 317--330 (2002; Zbl 1042.46008)] and [Ill. J. Math. 48, No. 3, 1021--1029 (2004; Zbl 1075.46014)], the author derives three previously unnoticed, relevant facts.