Tensor algebras of product systems and their \(C^\ast \)-envelopes (Q2286484)

Let \(P\) be a monoid. When one works in the bicategory of \(C^*\)-correspondences, then an action of \(P\) on a \(C^*\)-algebra becomes the same as a product system over \(P\). We would like to associate a \(C^*\)-algebra to this action that plays the role of the crossed product for a group action. In general, different choices for this \(C^*\)-algebra are plausible. This paper proves that in a certain situation several such choices are naturally isomorphic. The paper considers the case where \(P\subseteq G\) is a lattice ordered abelian group and the product system is compactly aligned. The latter is a technical assumption that is needed to get a well behaved Fock representation of the product system. Then the Nica-Toeplitz algebra is defined either by a universal property or as the \(C^*\)-algebra generated by the Fock representation. If \(P\) itself is a group and the product system is built from a group action on a \(C^*\)-algebra, then compact alignment is an empty condition. The Nica-Toeplitz algebra, however, is not the crossed product algebra. We still have to form a certain quotient. Then we also expect to form such a quotient for a product system over a lattice ordered abelian group \(P\subseteq G\). One candidate is defined as follows. The direct sum of the fibres in the product system gives a non-self-adjoint subalgebra of the Nica-Toeplitz algebra. There is a largest two-sided ideal in the Nica-Toeplitz algebra so that the quotient map restricted to this non-self-adjoint subalgebra is still completely isometric. The quotient by this ideal is called the \(C^*\)-envelope. A second candidate was defined by \textit{T. M. Carlsen} et al. [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 103, No. 4, 563--600 (2011; Zbl 1236.46060)] as follows. The unit fibre \(A\) of the product system is a \(C^*\)-subalgebra of the Nica-Toeplitz algebra \(B\), and the latter carries a gauge action of the dual group of \(G\). If there is a unique largest gauge-invariant ideal \(J\) in \(B\) with \(J\cap A = 0\), then the quotient \(B/J\) would be the smallest quotient of \(B\) such that the gauge action descends to it and the canonical map \(A \to B \to B/J\) is still injective. The existence of the ideal \(J\) above is only known under some extra injectivity assumptions. A third candidate is the covariance algebra recently defined by \textit{C. F. Sehnem} [J. Funct. Anal. 277, No. 2, 558--593 (2019; Zbl 1428.46035)] for product systems over much more general monoids. The main result in this article shows that the three \(C^*\)-algebras above are all naturally isomorphic. In particular, the second candidate exists for all compactly aligned product systems of lattice ordered abelian groups. Several applications of this theorem are discussed. First, a finitely aligned higher-rank graph determines a compactly alignd product system over \(\mathbb{N}^d \subseteq \mathbb{Z}^d\). So the theorem applies to the \(C^*\)-algebras of finitely aligned higher-rank graphs. A second application considers dilations of representations of product systems, answering a question of \textit{A. Skalski} and \textit{J. Zacharias} [Int. J. Math. 19, No. 4, 455--479 (2008; Zbl 1167.47011)]. A third application is about the compatibility of the covariance algebra of product systems with reduced crossed products for a group action on the product system. This generalises a result by \textit{G. Hao} and \textit{C.-K. Ng} on a single correspondence in [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 345, No. 2, 702--707 (2008; Zbl 1153.46040)].