Semiprojectivity with and without a group action (Q2254811)

Equivariant semiprojectivity was introduced by the first named author as a generalization of semiprojectivity to the category of unital \(C^*\)-algebras with an action of a group \(G\) and unital \(G\)-equivariant \(*\)-morphisms, with the purpose of showing that certain actions of compact groups on various specific \(C^*\)-algebras are semiprojective. In the paper under review, the authors undertake a more abstract study of equivariant semiprojectivity. They also introduce a notion of equivariant projectivity, which they study in parallel, and consider extensions to general locally compact groups and nonunital \(C^*\)-algebras. They prove that equivariant semiprojectivity is preserved when the action is restricted to a cocompact subgroup. It follows that, if a second countable compact group acts semiprojectively on a \(C^*\)-algebra \(A\), then \(A\) must be semiprojective. This fails for non-compact groups, as the authors show by constructing a semiprojective action of \(\mathbb{Z}\) on a non-semiprojective \(C^*\)-algebra. Analogous results are obtained for equivariant projectivity, however, with fewer restrictions on the subgroup. For instance, a \(C^*\)-algebra on which a discrete group acts projectively must be projective. Finally, it is proved that the crossed product by a semiprojective action of a finite group on a unital \(C^*\)-algebra is a semiprojective \(C^*\)-algebra. Examples are given to show that this does not extend to all compact groups.