Symmetry and \({\mathcal P}\)-commutativity of topological *-algebras (Q1063207)

A topological *-algebra E is called \({\mathcal P}\)-commutative if for all x, y in E \(f((xy-yx)^*(xy-yx))=0\), for every continuous positive linear form f on E (f\(\in {\mathcal P}(E))\). The term was first introduced by W. Tiller for Banach *-algebras. \({\mathcal P}\)-commutativity coincides with commutativity on lmc (locally m-convex) \(C^*\)-algebras. In particular, an lmc *-algebra with a bai (bounded approximate identity) is \({\mathcal P}\)- commutative iff its enveloping algebra is \({\mathcal P}\)-commutative (\(\Leftrightarrow\) commutative). Various classical results for commutative topological algebras are generalized in the \({\mathcal P}\)-classical case. For instance, a non-zero element f of \({\mathcal P}(E)\), with E a \({\mathcal P}\)- commutative lmc *-algebra with a bai, is an extreme point iff it is a hermitian character of E. Furthermore, relating \({\mathcal P}\)-commutativity with symmetry (a *-algebra E is symmetric if \(-x^*x\) is quasi-regular for every \(x\in E)\) one gets that the Gel'fand space of a unital \({\mathcal P}\)-commutative symmetric Fréchet lmc *-algebra E is non-empty, while the spectral radius of E is an algebra semi-norm. Finally, a ''spectral characterization'' of \({\mathcal P}\)-commutativity is given, for unital symmetric Fréchet Q lmc *-algebras. Several of the preceding results extend previous ones of \textit{W. Tiller} for Banach *-algebras [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 180, 327-336 (1973; Zbl 0266.46043)].