The structure of algebras of singular integral operators (Q1195889)

Application of local principles made it possible to get a deep insight into the Banach algebra \(P\Sigma_ \Gamma^ p(\alpha)\) generated by singular integral operators with Cauchy kernel on a composed curve \(\Gamma=\bigcup_{j=1}^ N \Gamma_ j\) (\(\Gamma_ j\) are smooth Lyapunov curves with only endpoints in common) and piecewise continuous coefficients in the Lebesgue space \(L_ \Gamma^ p(\alpha)\) with Khvedelidze weight \(w(t)=\prod_{j=1}^ n | t-z_ j|^{\alpha_ j}\), \(1<p<\infty\), \(0<\alpha_ j+1/p<1\). In this paper the authors go deeper in such investigations. Namely they give an exact description of the center \(\text{Cen}(P\Sigma_ \Gamma^ p(\alpha))\) of the quotient algebra \(P\Sigma_ \Gamma^ p(\alpha)^ \pi=P\Sigma_ \Gamma^ p(\alpha)/K(L_ \Gamma^ p(\alpha))\) where \(K(L_ \Gamma^ p(\alpha))\) stands for the ideal of all compact operators. It turns out that besides the cosets of the operators \(aI\) with continuous \(a\in C(\Gamma)\) the center contains two different types of operators. The maximal ideal space of \(\text{Cen}(P\Sigma_ \Gamma^ p(\alpha))\) and the Gelfand transform are described. It is proved once more that the subalgebras of semi-Fredholm and of Fredholm operators in \(P\Sigma_ \Gamma^ p(\alpha)\) coincide. The commutator ideal \(\text{Com}(P\Sigma_ \Gamma^ p(\alpha))=\{[A,B]=AB-BA\): \(A,B\in P\Sigma_ \Gamma^ p(\alpha)\}\) is described as well. In conclusion all the above-mentioned results are obtained for the algebra \(P_ \mu \Sigma_ \Gamma^ p\) where \(\gamma\) is homeomorphic to a circle, \(\mu\) is a Carleman shift (\(\mu^ 2=I\) and the derivative \(\mu'\) is Hölder continuous) which changes the orientation of \(\Gamma\). The algebra \(P_ \mu \Sigma_ \Gamma^ p\) is generated by the operator \(W\varphi(z)=\varphi(\mu(z))\) and by \(P\Sigma_ \Gamma^ p(0)\).