Opposite algebras of groupoid \(C^*\)-algebras (Q2055292)

Let \(G\) be a locally compact, locally Hausdorff groupoid with a continuous Haar system. The authors show that the groupoid \(C^{*}\)-algebra, \(C^{*}(G)\), is always isomorphic to its opposite algebra \(C^{*}(G)^{\text{op}}\), and that the reduced groupoid \(C^{*}\)-algebra, \(C^{*}_{r}(G)\), is also isomorphic to its opposite algebra, \(C^{*} _{r}(G)^{\text{op}}\). More generally, suppose that \(p:\mathcal B\to G\) is a Fell bundle over \(G\). If \(G^{\text{op}}\) is the ``opposite groupoid'' with the multiplication reversed -- so that \(g\cdot _{\text{op}}h=hg\) -- then there is a natural Fell bundle \(\mathcal B^{\text{op}}\) over \(G^{\text{op}}\) obtained by reversing the multiplication on \(\mathcal B\). Since \(g\mapsto g^{-1}\) is an isomorphism of \(G\) onto \(G^{\text{op}}\), we can let \(\mathcal B^{\text o}\) be the Fell bundle over \(G\) obtained by pulling back \(\mathcal B^{\text{op}}\) by the inversion map. Then the authors show that the opposite algebra of a Fell bundle \(C^{*}\)-algebra \(C^{*}(G;\mathcal B)\) is isomorphic to \(C^{*}(G;\mathcal B^{\text o})\). Similarly, \(C^{*}_{r}(G;\mathcal B)^{\text{op}}\) is isomorphic to \(C^{*}_{r}(G;\mathcal B^{\text o})\). As an example, if \(E\) is a twist over \(G\) and if \(C^{*}(G;E)\) is the restricted groupoid \(C^{*}\)-algebra, then \(C^{*}(G;E)^{\text{op}}\) is isomorphic to \(C^{*}(G;\overline E)\) where \(\overline E\) is the conjugate twist. A similar statement holds for the reduced algebras. Since there are separable \(C^{*}\)-algebras not isomorphic to their opposite algebras, an important consequence of this work is that not every separable \(C^{*}\)-algebra can be realized as either \(C^{*}(G)\) or \(C^{*}_{r}(G)\) for a locally compact, locally Hausdorff groupoid \(G\). Further the authors show that there are separable \(C^{*}\)-algebras that are not even stably isomorphic to either \(C^{*}(G)\) or~\(C^{*}_{r}(G)\). Although not every separable \(C^{*}\)-algebra can have a groupoid model, it remains possible that such \(C^{*}\)-algebras can be isomorphic to \(C^{*}(G;E)\) or \(C^{*}_{r}(G;E)\) for a twist \(E\) over a groupoid~\(G\).