Dilations of \(C^*\)-correspondences and the simplicity of Cuntz-Pimsner algebras (Q5931949)

A \(C^*\)-correspondence over a \(C^*\)-algebra \(A\) is a pair \((E,\varepsilon)\) consisting of a (right) Hilbert \(A\)-module \((E,\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle_A)\) and of a non-degenerate \(*\)-homomorphism \(\varepsilon:A\to{\mathcal L}(E)\). If \((E,\varepsilon)\), \((F,\phi)\) are \(C^*\)-correspondences over \(C^*\)-algebras \(A\) and \(B\) respectively then a covariant homomorphism from \((E,\varepsilon)\) to \((F,\phi)\) is a pair \(\pi=(\pi_A,\pi_E)\), where \(\pi_A:A\to B\) is a \(*\)-homomorphism and \(\pi_E:E\to F\) is a linear map such that for all \(\xi,\eta\in E\), \(a,b\in A\) one has 1. \(\pi_E(a\xi b)=\pi_A(a)\pi_E(\xi)\pi_A(b)\), 2. \(\langle\pi_E(\xi),\pi_E(\eta)\rangle_B=\pi_A(\langle\xi,\eta\rangle_A)\), 3. \(\phi\circ\pi_A=\pi_{{\mathcal K}(E)}\circ\varepsilon\) on \(\varepsilon^{-1}({\mathcal K}(E))\), where \(\pi_{{\mathcal K}(E)}:{\mathcal K}(E)\to{\mathcal K}(F)\) is the natural extension of \(\pi\) to the \(C^*\)-algebra of `compact' operators on \(E\). A Hilbert \(C^*\)-bimodule \((X,\lambda)\) over \(A\) is a \(C^*\)-correspondence over \(A\) that possesses an additional (left-handed) inner product \({}_A\langle\cdot,\cdot\rangle:X\times X\to A\) such that \({}_A\langle\xi,\eta\rangle\zeta=\xi\langle\eta,\zeta\rangle_A\) for any \(\xi,\eta,\zeta\in X\). It is called \textit{essential} if the ideal \(\overline{{}_A\langle X,X\rangle}\) is essential in \(A\). It is shown that for every \(C^*\)-correspondence \((E,\varepsilon)\) there exists an essential Hilbert \(C^*\)-bimodule \({\mathcal X}_E\) and a covariant homomorphism \(j:E\to{\mathcal X}_E\) such that every covariant homomorphism into an essential Hilbert \(C^*\)-bimodule factors uniquely through \(j\). Investigating the functor \(E\mapsto{\mathcal X}_E\), the author gives a characterization of simplicity for Cuntz--Pimsner algebras of full \(C^*\)-correspondences over unital \(C^*\)-algebras.