The geometry of the space of selfadjoint invertible elements in a \(C^*\)-algebra (Q2367526)

Let \(G\) \((G^ s)\) be the set of all (selfadjoint) invertible elements of a \(C^*\)-algebra \(A\) with identity. The geometric properties of \(G^ s\) are studied. The polar decomposition \(a = \nu\rho\) (\(a\in G^ s\), \(\nu > 0\), \(\rho\) unitary) provides a fibration \(\pi: G^ s \to P\), \(\pi(a) = \rho\), \(P = \{\rho \in A,\;\rho^* = \rho^{-1} = \rho\}\), as well as a Finsler structure on the bundle tangent \(TG^ s\), \(\| X\|_ a = \| \nu^{-1/2}X\nu^{-1/2}\|\). Descriptions of the fibres of \(\pi\) and of the group of all \(g \in G\) that preserve the fibres are given. It is proved that given two points in the same fiber \(G^ s_ \rho\) there is a unique geodesic fully contained in \(G^ s_ \rho\) joining them, which is the shortest curve in \(G^ s\) with the same endpoints. In the finite dimensional cases, Riemannian metrics are defined on \(TG^ s\) and an example where the canonical connection is the Levi-Civita connection of such a metric is pointed out.