Metrics on state spaces (Q1805571)

In this fundamental paper the author extends the characterization of the metrics on a compact space by Lipschitz seminorms to the non-commutative setting. Recall that a metric \(\rho\) on a compact space \(X\) can be recovered from the Lipschitz seminorm \(L_\rho(f)=\sup\{|f(x)-f(y)|/\rho(x,y): x\neq y\}\) by \[ \rho(x,y)=\sup\{|f(x)-f(y)|: L_\rho(f)\leq 1\}=\sup\{|\delta_x(f)-\delta_y(f)|: L_\rho(f)\leq 1\}. \] Replacing the Dirac measures by probability measures the latter relation can be extended to the state space \(S(X)\) of the \(C^\ast\)-algebra \(C(X)\). In fact, \(L_\rho\) is determined by the restriction of this extension to the set of extreme points of \(S(X)\). In the non-commutative case the author shows that a Lipschitz seminorm \(L\) on the unital \(C^\ast\)-algebra \({\mathcal A}\) is determined by a corresponding metric \(\rho\) on the state space \(S({\mathcal A})\) iff \(L\) is lower semicontinuous in some sense. He also characterizes the metrics on \(S({\mathcal A})\) which come from Lipschitz seminorms and exhibits the predual whose dual Banach space gives the Lipschitz ``functions'' with respect to a given Lipschitz seminorm. Another motivation for the correspondence of metrics and Lipschitz seminorms comes from its close connection with Dirac operators. It has first been suggested by A. Connes that \(L(a)=\|[D,a]\|\), \(a\in {\mathcal A}\), defines a Lipschitz seminorm given a representation of \({\mathcal A}\) on a Hilbert space \(H\) and a Dirac operator \(D\) on \(H\). The author also addresses to this Dirac picture and to several open problems that occur even in the finite dimensional case.