Vector-valued invariant means on spaces of bounded operators associated to a locally compact group (Q5954276)

Let \(\pi\) be a continuous unitary representation of a locally compact group \(G\) on a Hilbert space \(H_\pi\) and let \({\mathcal S}\) be a self-adjoint linear subspace of the space \({\mathcal B}(H_\pi)\) of bounded operators on \(H_\pi\) with the property that the identity operator \(I\) is in \({\mathcal S}\) and \(\pi(x)T \pi(x^{-1}) \in{\mathcal S}\) for \(T\in {\mathcal S}\) and \(x\in G\). In this paper the authors introduce and study the notion of a vector-valued \(\pi\)-invariant mean on \({\mathcal S}\), that is, a bounded linear operator \(\Phi:{\mathcal S} \to {\mathcal B}(H_\pi)\) that satisfies the following two conditions: (i) \(\Phi\) is a mean, i.e., \(\Phi(T)\) is in the closed convex hull \(\overline {co}^\sigma \{\pi (x)T \pi(x^{-1}): x\in G\}\) of \(\{\pi(x) T\pi(x^{-1}) :x\in G\}\) with respect to the ultraweak topology \(\sigma\) of \({\mathcal B}(H_\pi)\) for each \(T\in{\mathcal S}\), and (ii) \(\Phi\) is \(\pi\)-invariant, i.e., \(\Phi(\pi (x)T\pi (x^{-1}))= \Phi(T)\) and \(\Phi(T)\in VN_\pi(G)'\) for \(T\in {\mathcal S}\) and \(x\in G\), where \(VN_\pi(G)\) is the von Neumann algebra generated by \(\{\pi(x): x\in G\}\) and \(VN_\pi(G)'\) is its commutant. \(\pi\) is said to be strongly amenable if there is a \(\pi\)-invariant mean on \({\mathcal B}(H_p)\). It is proved in this paper that the following statements are equivalent: (i) \(G\) is amenable as a locally compact group; (ii) each unitary representation of \(G\) is strongly amenable; (iii) each irreducible representation of \(G\) is strongly amenable. The authors obtain an extension theorem for \(\pi\)-invariant completely positive maps and \(\pi\)-invariant means which characterizes the amenability of \(G\). This extension theorem is applied to show that if \(G\) is a noncompact amenable group, then \({\mathcal B}(L^2(G))\) has many \(\lambda\)-invariant means, where \(\lambda\) is the left regular representation of \(G\). The authors also study vector-valued means on \({\mathcal A}P_\pi (G)\) (resp. \({\mathcal W}AP_\pi (G))\) of (resp. weakly) almost periodic operators on \(H_\pi\).