Extensions of the Lax-Milgram theorem to Hilbert \(C^*\)-modules (Q2194081)

The Lax-Milgram theorem states that if \(\varphi\) is a bounded bilinear form on a Hilbert space \(H\) such that \(\varphi(x,x)\geq M\|x\|\) for all \(x\in H\), then for every bounded linear functional \(f\) on \(H\) there exists a unique element \(u\) in \(H\) such that \(f(x)=\varphi(x,u)\) for \(x\in H\) and \(\|u\|\leq \|f\|/M\). The paper under review provides some generalizations of the Lax-Milgram theorem to Hilbert \(C^{\ast}\)-modules. First, the authors present a version of the theorem for self-dual modules over \(W^{\ast}\)-algebras and related results. Secondly, an analog of the Lax-Milgram theorem is obtained for Hilbert \(C^{\ast}\)-modules over \(C^{\ast}\)-algebras of compact operators. In this case the authors compensate the possible lack of self-duality of the ambient module \(X\) by switching to its multiplier module \(M(X)\) which turns out to be a self-dual Hilbert \(W^{\ast}\)-module.