Quasi-local algebras and asymptotic expanders (Q2245023)

The uniform Roe C*-algebra of a discrete coarse space \(X\) is defined as a C*-completion of a certain *-algebra of operators on the Hilbert space \(\ell^2(X)\). All its elements must be ``quasi-local''. This property defines another, potentially larger C*-algebra, the uniform quasi-local algebra. Conversely, if~\(X\) has ``Property~A'', then all quasi-local operators belong to the uniform Roe C*-algebra. For more general coarse spaces, it is unclear when these two C*-algebras agree. This article studies this question for the class of box spaces, that is, coarse disjoint unions of finite spaces \(X_n\) for natural numbers \(n\). The averaging projection \(P_X\) of a box space \(X\) is the operator that acts in each piece~\(X_n\) by averaging. The article characterises when this averaging projection is quasi-local: this happens if and only if the sequence \((X_n)\) is an asymptotic expander. This property is slightly weaker than being an expander. If \(X_n\) is an expander, then \(P_X\) even belongs to the uniform Roe C*-algebra. Here, however, the converse is unknown. The article shows that asymptotic expanders are more general than the usual expanders. It clarifies in what sense the property of being an asymptotic expander is invariant under coarse equivalence. It shows that \(X_n\) cannot be an asymptotic expander if \(X\) is uniformly locally amenable; the latter property is weaker than Property~A. In addition, the article also shows some results about uniform quasi-local algebras and Property~A. Namely, the space~\(X\) has Property~A if and only if its uniform quasi-local C*-algebra is nuclear, if and only if all uniform quasi-local ghost operators are compact, if and only if \(\ell^\infty(X)\) separates ideals in the uniform quasi-local C*-algebra. In addition, \(\ell^\infty(X)\) is only a Cartan subalgebra in the uniform quasi-local C*-algebra when the latter is equal to the uniform Roe C*-algebra. The article ends with a number of open questions.