Conditional expectation without order (Q1057457)

The authors show that an arbitrary contractive projection on a \(J^*\)- algebra has the properties of a conditional expectation. This is then used to solve the bicontractive projection problem for \(J^*\)-algebra. A \(J^*\)-algebra is a norm closed subspace of \({\mathcal L}(H,K)\) which is stable under the triple product \(\{abc\}=1/2(ab^*c+cb^*a).\) In particular a \(C^*\)-algebra is a \(J^*\)-algebra. Let P be a contractive projection on a \(J^*\)-algebra M. The authors prove (1) \(P\{PaPbc\}=P\{PaPbPc\}\) for a,b,c\(\in M;\) (2) \(P\{PabPc\}=P\{PaPbPc\}\) for a,b,c\(\in M;\) (3) P is bicontractive (i.e., I-P is also contractive) if and only if \(P=1/2(I+\theta)\) where \(\theta\) is an involutive isometry of M. The proofs rely on previous results of the authors on contractive projections [Math. Scand. 52, 279-311 (1983; Zbl 0547.46048) and J. Funct. Anal. 60, 56-79 (1985)] and depend strongly on the underlying Hilbert spaces. The property (2) has been proved, using holomorphic methods, by \textit{W. Kaup} [Math. Scand. 54, 95-100 (1984)] for a \(JB^*\)-triple, which is a (Hilbert) space-free generalization of a \(J^*\)-algebra. The authors, using this result of Kaup and their own work on JB\({}^*\)- triples [J. Reine Angew. Math. 356, 67-89 (1985; Zbl 0547.46049)] have proved (1) and (3) for \(JB^*\)-triples. [Conditional expectation and bicontractive projections on Jordan \(C^*\)-algebras and their generalizations, preprint.]