Linear combination of projections in von Neumann factors (Q2188326)

Any self-adjoint operator acting on a Hilbert space can be written as a linear combination of projections -- this follows from the spectral theorem. The authors show that any self-adjoint operator in a finite discrete or infinite von Neumann algebra factor can be written as a real linear combination of four projections. The authors also show that this result is sharp by giving examples of self-adjoint operators which cannot be written as linear combinations of three projections. This result strengthens and complements several existing results in the literature.