Spectral Banach algebras of bounded index (Q1204443)

The author deals mostly with \(I\)-rings (associative rings with the property that for every non-nilpotent element \(a\) there is a non-zero \(b\) with \(b = bab\)). We mention here some results of the paper with a Banach algebra flavour. Call a Banach algebra \(A\) spectral, if for every closed ideal \(I \subset A\) the quotient \(A/I\) is an \(I\)-ring. Proposition 3.21. Let \(A\) be a Banach algebra and \(I\) a closed ideal. Then \(A\) is spectral iff \(I\) and \(A/I\) are spectral. Proposition 4.3. A reduced complex \(C^*\)-algebra is spectral iff it is commutative and the clopen subsets of its spectrum are basic for the Zariski topology. Theorem 4.7. Let \(A\) be a \(C^*\)-algebra whose primitive factors are finite dimensional. Then \(A\) is spectral iff for each self-adjoint element \(a\) there exists a sequence \((e_ n)\) of projections in \(aA\) such that \(a = \lim e_ n a\).