Blaschke inductive limits of uniform algebras (Q1348697)

Let \textbf{T} be the unit circle in the complex plane, \({\mathbb D}\) the closed unit disc, and \(A({\mathbf T})\) the disc algebra. For each natural number \(k\), let \(i_k: A({\mathbf T})\to A({\mathbf T})\) be a homomorphism. Then the chain \[ A({\mathbf T})@>i_1>> A({\mathbf T})@>i_2>>A({\mathbf T})@>i_3>> A({\mathbf T})@>i_4>>\ldots \] determines an inductive limit algebra, denoted \(\varinjlim\{A({\mathbf T})\), \(i_k\}\). The conjugate maps \({i_k}^*:{\mathbf D}\to {\mathbf D}\) generate an inverse limit \[ {\mathbf D}@<{i_1}^*<< {\mathbf D}@<{i_2}^*<< {\mathbf D}@<{i_3}^*<< \ldots \] which is the maximal ideal space of \(\varinjlim\{A({\mathbf T})\), \(i_k\}\). Banach inductive limit algebras are those that arise when each conjugate map \({i_k}^*=B_k\) is a finite Blaschke product. In this case, the maps \(i_k\) correspond to the composition operators \(C_{B_k}\); that is, \(i_k(f)(z)=f(B_k(z))\) for every \(f\) in \(A({\mathbf T})\). As a generalization, suppose that \(G\) is a compact abelian group with dual group \(\widehat{G}=\Gamma \) contained in the reals. The big \(G\)-disc \(\Delta_G\) is obtained by identifying the points of the fiber \(\{0\}\times G\) in the Cartesian product \([0,1]\times G\). The uniform algebra on \(G\) generated by the characters \(\{\chi^a: a\in\Gamma\), \(a\geq 0\}\) is called the big \(G\)-disc algebra, denoted by \(A_G\). Specifically, suppose that \(\Gamma =\{a_i\}\) is contained in the rationals and that \(a_1=1\) (without loss of generality). Let \(\Gamma_1={\mathbb Z}\), the integers, \(\Gamma_2={\mathbb Z}+a_2{\mathbb Z}\), \(\Gamma_3={\mathbb Z}+a_2{\mathbb Z}+a_3{\mathbb Z}\), et cetera. Then, for each \(k\), there exists a natural number \(m_k\) such that \(\Gamma_k=(1/m_k){\mathbb Z}\). Also, \(\Gamma_k\subseteq \Gamma_{k+1}\), so \(d_{k+1}=m_{k+1}/m_k\) is an integer. It turns out that \(A_G\) coincides with \(\varinjlim\{A({\mathbf T}), C_{z^{d_k}}\}\). This leads to the assertion, in Theorem 3.7, that a big \(G\)-disc algebra \(A_G\) is expressible as a Blaschke inductive limit algebra if, and only if, the dual group \(\Gamma\) is a subgroup of the rationals. Moreover, if each Blaschke product \(B_k\) is a Möbius transformation, then \(\varinjlim\{A({\mathbf T}), C_{B_k}\}\) is isometrically isomorphic to \(A({\mathbf T})\) itself. On this same theme, Theorem 7.6 shows that, if \(B_k=B\) for all \(k\) (so the Blaschke products \(B_k\) are all the same), then the resulting limit algebra \(\varinjlim\{A({\mathbf T}), C_{B}\}\) is isometrically isomorphic to some big \(G\)-disc algebra \(A_G\) if, and only if, there is a natural number \(m\) and a Möbius transformation \(\tau\) on \({\mathbf D}\) such that \((\tau^{-1}\circ B\circ \tau)(z)=z^m\). The authors also look at some of the structure of the maximal ideal space of an inductive limit algebra. For instance, Theorem 6.1 shows that, if each of the Blaschke products \(B_k\) has order greater than 1, satisfies \(B_k(0)=0\) and has all of its zeros in some open disc \(\{|z|<r\}\), where \(r<1\) is fixed, then \(\varinjlim\{A({\mathbf T}), C_{B_k}\}\) has only one one-point Gleason part that is not in the Shilov boundary (In fact, this is the point \(O=(0,0,\ldots)\)). The concluding section of the paper considers the inductive limit algebras that arise when the Blaschke products \(B_k\) are replaced by non-constant inner functions \(I_k\) and \(H^\infty\) takes over the role of the disc algebra. Specifically, Theorem 8.1 establishes a corona type theorem for such an algebra.