Approximate ideal structures and \(K\)-theory (Q2223061)

Let \(A\) be a \(C^*\)-algebra. If \(C,D\subset A\) are ideals with \(C+D=A\), then one can write the \(K\)-theory Mayer-Vietoris exact sequence for this pair. In the paper under review, the Meyer-Vietoris exact sequence is partially generalized to the case of subalgebras instead of ideals. For this purpose, the notion of an \textit{approximate ideal structure} is introduced. Let \(\mathcal C\) be a set of pairs \((C,D)\) of \(C^*\)-subalgebras of \(A\). Then \(A\) admits an approximate ideal structure over \(\mathcal C\) if for any \(\varepsilon>0\) and for any finite subset \(F\subset A\) there exists a positive contraction \(h\) in the multiplier algebra of \(A\) and a pair \((C,D)\in\mathcal C\) such that \([h,a]<\varepsilon\) for any \(a\in F\) and the distances from \(ha\) to \(C\), from \((1-h)a\) to \(D\) and from \((1-h)h^ia\) to \(C\cap D\), \(i=1,2\), are less than \(\varepsilon\) for any \(a\in F\). If a certain uniformity with respect to tensor products by a \(C^*\)-algebra \(B\) holds, then \(A\) admits a \textit{uniform approximate ideal structure over} \(\mathcal C\). The first main result of the paper states that if \(A\) admits an approximate ideal structure over \(\mathcal C\) and if \(K_*(C)=K_*(D)=K_*(C\cap D)=0\) for all \((C,D)\in\mathcal C\), then \(K_*(A)=0\). The second main result states that if \(A\) admits a uniform approximate ideal structure over \(\mathcal C\) and if \(C\), \(D\) and \(C\cap D\) satisfy the \(K\)-theory Künneth formula for any \((C,D)\in\mathcal C\), then \(A\) satisfies the Künneth formula.