Two notions of stable rank for Banach lattices containing quasi-interior positive elements (Q2365900)

Let \(A\) be a Banach algebra and \(\Delta_ A\) its Gelfand space, and also let \(E\) be a Banach lattice with a quasi-interior point and \(K(E)\) be its representation space (in the sense of H. Schaefer). It is known that many relationships between \(A\) and \(\Delta_ A\) translate nicely into similar relationships between \(E\) and \(K(E)\). The purpose of the work under review is to further this parallelism. Taking the rank of functions of non-stable \(K\)-theory for commutative Banach algebras as his guiding model, the author introduces the definitions of a stable rank and of a topological stable rank for \(E\), and then establishes the relations between these ranks and the dimension of \(K(E)\). The results obtained are then applied to Freudenthal's spectral theorem. Many examples are given.