The structure of a subclass of amenable Banach algebras (Q1777821)

A Banach algebra \(\mathcal A\) is called contractible if every derivation from \(\mathcal A\) into a Banach \(\mathcal A\)-bimodule is inner and called amenable if every derivation from \(\mathcal A\) into a dual Banach \(\mathcal A\)-bimodule is inner. It is believed that every contractible Banach algebra as well as every amenable Banach algebra that is reflexive as a Banach space is a finite direct sum of full matrix algebras. This is known to be true under various additional hypotheses. The author's first main result is that, if \(\mathcal A\) is contractible or reflexive and amenable such that the maximal left ideals of \(\mathcal A\) are complememented, then \(\mathcal A\) is a finite direct sum of full matrix algebras. For the reflexive, amenable case, this is Theorem 2.2 of [\textit{B. E. Johnson}, Math. Proc. Camb. Philos. Soc. 112, No. 1, 157--163 (1992; Zbl 0810.46042)], and for both contractible and reflexible, amenable Banach algebras, the results was proven in [\textit{Y. Zhang}, Bull. Aust. Math. Soc. 62, No. 2, 221--226 (2000; Zbl 1058.46507)] under weaker hypotheses. The author then goes on to derive some (equally well-known) consequences of his theorem.