No label defined (Q4356153)

Let \(\Gamma\) be a free group with two generators \(a\) and \(b\). Consider the regular representation \(\lambda\) of \(\Gamma\) on \(l^2(\Gamma)\) and the reduced group \(C^*\)-algebra \(C_\lambda^*(\Gamma)\) generated by \(\lambda(g)\), \(g\in\Gamma\), where \[ \lambda(g)\xi(t)=\xi(g^{-1}t),\quad\xi\in l^2(\Gamma). \] The paper is devoted to the calculation of the spectrum (in \(C_\lambda^*(\Gamma)\)) of the adjacency operator \(\lambda(h):=\lambda(a)+\lambda(b)\) of the directed Cayley graph associated with the generators \(a\) and \(b\). It is proved that \[ \text{sp} \lambda(h)=\big\{z\in {\mathbb C} : | z|\leq\sqrt{2}\big\}. \] The proof of the spectrum connectedness is based here on the fact that \(C_\lambda^*(\Gamma)\) contains no nontrivial idempotents. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0869.00032].