The \({C}^\ast\)-algebra of a minimal homeomorphism of zero mean dimension (Q681671)

The authors show that the crossed product of a minimal homeomorphism of an infinite compact metric space is Jiang-Su stable whenever the homeomorphism has mean (topological) dimension zero. This is a remarkable result in that it establishes a strong and to some extent unexpected connection between two prominent notions from different areas (topological dynamics and structure theory of nuclear \({C}^\ast\)-algebras). Combined with recent classification results, this result shows that such crossed products are always classifiable by their Elliott invariants. Moreover, it is suggested that Jiang-Su stability of the crossed product may in fact be equivalent to mean dimension zero of the homeomorphism. (This would for example follow from the Phillips-Toms dynamical conjecture, which predicts that the mean dimension of the homeomorphism is always equal to twice the radius of comparison of the associated crossed product.) The authors also suggest that their result may hold for actions of amenable groups other than the integers. As evidence in this direction, it is shown that for minimal actions of \(\mathbb{Z}^2\) on a product space \(X\times Y\), generated by minimal homeomorphisms of \(X\) and \(Y\) (these \(\mathbb{Z}^2\) actions automatically have mean dimension zero, regardless of the mean dimensions of the individual homeomorphisms), the crossed product is Jiang-Su stable. The proof of the main result consists in showing that the ``orbit breaking subalgebra'' of Putnam is Jiang-Su stable, which by results of \textit{D. Archey} and \textit{N. C. Phillips} [``Permanence of stable rank one for centrally large subalgebras and crossed products by minimal homeomorphisms'', Preprint (2016), \url{arXiv:1505.00725v2}] on (centrally) large subalgebras implies that the crossed product is Jiang-Su stable. The centrally large subalgebra is analysed using its presentation as a recursive subhomogeneous \({C}^\ast\)-algebra.