Lifting positive elements in \(C^*\)-algebras (Q1175032)

It is well known that every positive element in a quotient C*-algebra \({\mathfrak A}/{\mathfrak J}\) lifts to a positive element in \(\mathfrak A\). In this paper the author considers the following question: Can a positive matrix with entries in the quotient be lifted to a positive matrix when some of the lifted entries are preassigned? The main result of the paper is: Theorem. Let \(\mathfrak A\) be a \(C^*\)-algebra, \(\mathfrak J\) an ideal in \(\mathfrak A\), and \(\pi\) be the quotient map of \(\mathfrak A\) onto \({\mathfrak A}/{\mathfrak J}\). Suppose that \[ \left[ \begin{matrix} a & b \\ b^* & d \end{matrix} \right] \] is a positive element in \({\mathcal M}_ 2\) \(({\mathfrak A}/{\mathfrak J})\), and that \(A\) and \(D\) are positive elements of \(\mathfrak A\) such that \(\pi(A)=a\) and \(\pi(D)=d\). Then there is an element \(B\) in \(\mathfrak A\) such that \[ \left[ \begin{matrix} A & B \\ B^* & D \end{matrix} \right] \] is positive.