Similarity degree of Fourier algebras (Q290592)

A comprehensive study of general similarity problems, including Kadison's for operator algebras and Dixmier's for groups, carried out by \textit{G. Pisier} appeared in [St. Petersbg. Math. J. 10, No. 1, 103--146 (1999; Zbl 0911.47038); translation from Algebra Anal. 10, No. 1, 132--186 (1998)]. The main result on the latter problem (whose proof for discrete groups by Pisier was later adapted by \textit{N. Spronk} [On multipliers of the Fourier algebra of a locally compact group. Waterloo: University of Waterloo (PhD Thesis) (2002)] to general locally compact groups) is expressed by saying that the group algebra \(L^1(G)\) has similarity property, with similarity degree at most \(2\) for any locally compact group \(G\). The current paper seeks an analogous result for the Fourier algebra \(A(G)\) and presents such a result for locally compact groups with quasi-small invariant neighbourhood property (QSIN groups). This class of groups contains all amenable groups and all SIN groups. Examples of non-QSIN groups include \(\mathbb{T}^n \rtimes \mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{Z})\) and any noncompact reductive group \(G(\mathbb{Q}_p)\) over the \(p\)-adic field. The main result of the paper is the following theorem giving similarity property for Fourier algebras with a bound \(2\) for the similarity degree: Theorem. Let \(G\) be a QSIN group. Then, for any completely bounded homomorphism \(\pi: A(G)\rightarrow \mathcal{B}(\mathcal{H})\), there is an invertible \(S\in \mathcal{B}(\mathcal{H})\) such that (a) \(\pi_S:= S\pi(.)S^{-1}\) is a \(\ast\)-representation of \(A(G)\); and (b) \(\| S\| \| S^{-1}\| \leq \| \pi\| ^2_{cb}\). This improves earlier results of \textit{M. Brannan} et al. [J. Funct. Anal. 259, No. 8, 2073--2097 (2010; Zbl 1208.43003); Münster J. Math. 6, No. 2, 445--482 (2013; Zbl 1303.46038)], where smaller classes of groups were considered and the bound obtained for the similarity degree is \(4\). It is conjectured that the result holds for all locally compact groups with similarity degree at most \(2\). The authors also show that the similarity degree is \(1\) precisely when \(G\) is finite which holds if and only if \(A(G)\) is completely isomorphic to an operator algebra. The main tool used in the paper is a general similarity result of Pisier [loc. cit.] for Banach algebras with operator space structures.