Wiener-Hopf operators and generalized analytic functions (Q1069108)

In [Inst. Haut. Étud. Sci., Publ. Math. 40 (1971), 69--79 (1972; Zbl 0241.47027)], \textit{L. A. Coburn}, \textit{R. G. Douglas}, \textit{D. G. Schaeffer} and \textit{I. M. Singer} developed an index theory, relative to a \(\text{II}_{\infty}\) factor, for Wiener-Hopf or Toeplitz operators with continuous almost periodic symbols, thus generalizing the well-known theory of Toeplitz operators on the circle whose symbols lie in \(C({\mathbb T})\). The authors define an analogue of \(H^{\infty}+C\) for almost periodic functions and use it to extend the theory of Coburn, Douglas, Schaeffer and Singer in much the same way that \textit{R. G. Douglas} extended the theory of Toeplitz operators to cover the \(H^{\infty}+C\) case [Bull. Am. Math. Soc. 74, 895--899 (1968; Zbl 0167.13004)]. As expected, a smooth transference of the theory for Toeplitz operators with symbols in \(H^{\infty}+C\) to the almost periodic case is not possible; the obstacles, however, involve some interesting problems in the value distribution theory of analytic almost periodic functions. Recently, the authors have obtained spectral and index theories for Toeplitz operators with symbols \(\phi\) in the algebra \(\text{BUC}({\mathbb R})\) of bounded uniformly continuous functions on \({\mathbb R}\), satisfying the following condition: If X is the maximal ideal space of the \(C^*\)- subalgebra of \(\text{BUC}({\mathbb R})\) generated by \(\phi\) and its translations, the canonical action of \({\mathbb R}\) on \(X\) is strictly ergodic [Toeplitz operators on flows, in final stages of preparation].