Representations of locally compact groups on \(\operatorname{QSL}_p\)-spaces and a \(p\)-analog of the Fourier-Stieltjes algebra (Q2493351)

For \(G\) a locally compact group, \textit{P. Eymard} introduced a commutative Banach algebra \(B(G)\), the Fourier-Stieltjes algebra, consisting of the coefficient functions of continuous unitary representations of~\(G\) [Bull.\ Soc.\ Math.\ France 92, 181--236 (1964; Zbl 0169.46403)]. He also specified a certain closed ideal \(A(G)\) in \(B(G)\), called the Fourier algebra. Later, for each \(p\in \;]1,\infty[\), the so-called Figà-Talamanca-Herz algebra \(A_p(G)\) has been considered in the literature; it is the algebra of all functions \(f\colon G\to {\mathbb C}\) of the form \(f(x) =\sum_{n=1}^\infty \langle \lambda_{p'}(x)\xi_n,\phi_n\rangle\), where \(p'\in \;]1,\infty[\) with \(1/p+1/{p'}=1\), \(\langle.,.\rangle\) is the natural pairing between \(L_{p'}(G)\) and \(L_p(G)\), \(\lambda_{p'}\) the left regular representation of~\(G\) on \(L_{p'}(G)\), and \(\xi_n\in L_{p'}(G)\), \(\phi_n\in L_p(G)\) are elements such that \(\sum_{n=1}^\infty \| \xi_n\| \, \| \phi_n\| <\infty\). The algebra operations on \(A_p(G)\) are pointwise, and it is a Banach algebra for a suitable norm. Then \(A_2(G)=A(G)\), prompting the question whether Banach algebras \(B_p(G)\) can be defined for general \(p\in \;]1,\infty[\) which relate to \(A_p(G)\) similarly as \(B(G)\) relates to~\(A(G)\). The author answers this question affirmatively using \(\text{QSL}_p\)-spaces as a tool, viz.\ Banach spaces which are isometrically isomorphic to a quotient of a closed vector subspace of \(L_p(X)\) for some measure space~\(X\). He defines \(B_p(G)\) as the set of all coefficient functions \(G\to{\mathbb C}\), \(x\mapsto \langle \pi(x)\xi,\phi\rangle\), where \(\pi\) is a representation of~\(G\) by invertible linear isometries on a \(\text{QSL}_{p'}\)-space~\(E\) which is continuous with respect to the strong operator topology, and \(\xi\in E\), \(\phi\in E'\). It is shown that \(B_p(G)\) is a unital subalgebra of the algebra \(C_b(G)\) of bounded continuous functions. The main result asserts that a certain natural norm turns \(B_p(G)\) into a Banach algebra which contains \(A_p(G)\) as an ideal and makes the inclusion map \(A_p(G)\to B_p(G)\) a contraction. Furthermore, \(B_q(G)\subseteq B_p(G)\) if \(2\leq q\leq p\) or \(p\leq q\leq 2\), in which case the inclusion map \(B_q(G)\to B_p(G)\) is a contraction. In the literature, the symbol \(B_p(G)\) is sometimes used instead for the multiplier algebra \({\mathcal M}(A_p(G))\) consisting of all \(f\in C_b(G)\) such that \(f A_p(G)\subseteq A_p(G)\), equipped with the norm induced by \({\mathcal B}(A_p(G))\). However, since \(B(G)\not={\mathcal M}(A(G))\) for some examples of non-amenable groups~\(G\), the multiplier algebra cannot be used in general to answer the question posed above. The author shows that \(B_p(G)\subseteq {\mathcal M}(A_p(G))\), and that the inclusion map is a contraction. If \(G\) is amenable, then \(B_p(G)={\mathcal M}(A_p(G))\) with identical norms, and the inclusion map \(A_p(G)\to B_p(G)\) is an isometry.