Contractability of \(\ell^1\)-Munn algebras with applications (Q5939962)

Let \(A\) be a unital Banach algebra. The algebra \({\mathcal A}\) is called contractible if every bounded derivation from \({\mathcal A}\) into any Banach \({\mathcal A}\)-bimodule is inner. Let \(I,J\) be arbitrary index sets and \(P\) a \(J \times I\) matrix over \({\mathcal A}\) which has no zero row or column and the nonzero entries of \(P\) are invertible. The set \({\mathcal L}{\mathcal M}({\mathcal A},P)\) of all \(I\times J\) matrices \(A\) over \({\mathcal A}\) such that \(\|A\|_1= \sum_{i j} \|A_{ij} \|< \infty\) is a Banach algebra with the \(\ell^1\)-norm and the product \(A\circ B=APB\). It is proved that the algebra \({\mathcal L}{\mathcal M}( {\mathcal A},P)\) is contractible if and only if \({\mathcal A}\) is contractible and \({\mathcal L}{\mathcal M}({\mathcal A},P)\) is unital. It is proved also that if \(S\) is a regular semigroup with finite number of idempotents then the algebra \(\ell^1(S)\) is contractible if and only if every maximal subgroup of \(S\) is finite and \(\ell(T)\) is semisimple for every principal factor \(T\) of \(S\). In particular, \(S\) is finite if \(\ell^1(S)\) is contractible.