A geometric spectral theory for \(n\)-tuples of self-adjoint operators in finite von Neumann algebras. II. (Q1858299)

The authors continue the investigation begun in \textit{C. A. Akemann}, \textit{J. Anderson} and \textit{N. Weaver} [J. Funct. Anal. 164, 258--292 (1999; Zbl 0937.47003)] on the geometry of the spectral scale \(B\) defined by tuples \(b_1,\dots,b_n\) of self-adjoint operators relative to faithful, normal, tracial states \(\tau\) in finite von Neumann algebras \(M\). The minimal exposed facial chain determined by a general face in \(B\) is completely described by cut-down spectral interval projections in the facial complex defined (inductively) by a sequence of certain spectral pairs. A face \(F\) is exposed by at least two hyperplanes of support (\(F\) is called sharp face or generalized ``corner'') if and only if it is contained in two hyperplanes of support corresponding to linearly independent spectral pairs \((s_1,{\mathbf{t}}_1)\) and \((s_2,{\mathbf{t}}_2)\). If, moreover, \({\mathbf{t}}_1={\mathbf{t}}_2={\mathbf{t}}=(t_1,\dots,t_n)\) and \(s_1<s_2\), then the interval \((s_1,s_2)\) lies in a gap of the spectrum of \(b_{{\mathbf{t}}}=t_1b_1+\dots +t_nb_n\) and \(F\) is an exposed point. If the von Neumann subalgebra \(N\) (\(\subseteq M\)) generated by \(\{b_1,\dots,b_n,1\}\) is finite-dimensional, then the isolated extreme points of \(B\) can be characterized in terms of central projections in \(N\). The authors deduce that \(N\) is abelian and finite-dimensional if and only if \(B\) has a finite number of extreme points. The main result of the last section shows that \(N\) is abelian if \(B\) has a countable number of extreme points.