Quasidiagonal operator algebras (Q1174827)

The author considers only bounded operators acting on some infinite- dimensional, complex, separable, Hilbert space. A nest is a strongly closed, linearly ordered set consisting of Hilbert-space projections which contains the trivial projections. The algebra of all operators invariating a nest plus the compact operators is the quasitriangular algebra associated to a nest. The intersection of the quasitriangular algebra associated to some nest and the adjoint of this latest algebra is the quasidiagonal algebra associated to the nest. The author shows that for a given infinite nest, the associated quasidiagonal algebra is strictly larger than the commutant of that nest plus the compact operators. For an infinite nest \(N\) and some projection \(P\) which is a strong accumulation point of that nest the author says some operator is block-diagonal at P with respect to \(N\) if there is a monotone sequence in \(N\) tending strongly to \(P\) and commuting with that operator. It is proved that the quasidiagonal algebra associated to \(N\) is strictly contained by the sum of all operators which are block-diagonal at \(P\) and the compact operators. These results are generalisations of well-known similar ones taken from single-operator theory. The paper contains many other interesting results in this area.