Discrete product systems and twisted crossed products by semigroups (Q1266257)

A product system \(E\) over a semigroup \(P\) is a family of Hilbert spaces \(\{E_s; s\in P\}\) equipped with multiplications \(E_s\times E_t\to E_{st}\), while \(E\) can be viewed as a unitary cocycle on \(P\). The authors consider twisted crossed products \(A\rtimes_{\beta,E} P\) with \(E\) and an action \(\beta\) of \(P\) by endomorphisms of a \(C^*\)-algebra \(A\). In a previous paper of the second author (with \textit{M. Laca}) [J. Funct. Anal. 139, No. 2, 415-440 (1996; Zbl 0887.46040)], the \(C^*\)-algebra \(C^*_{\text{cov}}(P)\) is treated, which is universal for covariant isometric representations of the quasi-lattice ordered group \((G,P)\), where \(C^*_{\text{cov}}(P)\) is viewed as a semigroup crossed product \(B_P\rtimes_\tau P\) with the \(C^*\)-subalgebra \(B_P\) of \(\ell^\infty(P)\) spanned by the characteristic functions \(1_x:= \chi_{xP}\) and \(\tau_t(1_x)= 1_{tx}\). In this paper, the authors concentrate on investigating the universal \(C^*\)-algebra \(C^*_{\text{cov}}(P, E)\) in particular when \(P\) is a quasi-lattice ordered semigroup in the sense of \textit{A. Nica} [J. Oper. Theory 27, No. 1, 17-52 (1992; Zbl 0809.46058)], and aim to regard \(C^*_{\text{cov}}(P, E)\) as a twisted crossed product \(B_P\rtimes_{\tau, E}P\), which is universal for covariant representations of \(E\) when \(E\) has finite-dimensional fibres. Especially when \(P= \mathbb{N}\) and \(\dim E_1= \infty\), the algebra \(B_{\mathbb{N}}\rtimes_{\tau, E}\mathbb{N}\) is a new infinite analogue of the Toeplitz-Cuntz algebra \({\mathcal T}{\mathcal O}_n\), cf. \textit{H. J. Dinh} [J. Oper. Theory 30, No. 1, 123-135 (1993; Zbl 0837.46048)] and \textit{S. Adji}, \textit{M. Laca}, \textit{M. Nilsen} and \textit{I. Raeburn} [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 122, No. 4, 1133-1141 (1994; Zbl 0818.46071)]. The main purpose of this paper consists in derivation of a characterization theorem for the faithful representations of \(B_P\rtimes_{\tau, E}P\) by applying the similar techniques used ibidem (1996; with M. Laca). Theorem. Suppose \((B_P, P,\tau, E)\) is an amenable twisted system satisfying the spanning hypothesis \[ B_P\rtimes_{\tau, E}P= \overline{\text{S}}\text{pan } \{i_E(u)i_{B_P}(1_s) i_E(v)^*; u,v\in E, s\in P\},\tag{\(*\)} \] and \(\varphi\) is a covariant representation of \(E\). Then \(\pi_\varphi\times \varphi\) is a faithful representation of \(B_P\rtimes_{\tau, E}P\) if and only if \(\prod^n_{k= 1}(I- \alpha^\varphi_{s_k}(I))\neq 0\) whenever \(s_1,\dots, s_n\in P\setminus\{e\}\), where \(\alpha^\varphi_t\) is a unique normal *-endomorphism. Clearly one has to verify the amenability hypotheses \((*)\) in a reasonable number of situations. This is also solved in the last section of this paper.