Characterizations of noncommutative \(H^\infty\) (Q860213)

Subdiagonal algebras were introduced by \textit{W. B. Arveson} in [Am. J. Math. 89, 578--642 (1967; Zbl 0183.42501)]; these are non-selfadjoint subalgebras \(A\) of a von Neumann algebra \(M\) satisfying certain conditions which generalise the inclusion of the function algebra \(H^{\infty}\) into \(L^{\infty}(\mathbb{T})\) (\(\mathbb{T}\) being the unit circle in the complex plane). Subdiagonal algebras have attracted a lot of attention in the literature. The paper under review deals with the following setting: (a) \(M\) possesses a faithful normal trace \(\tau\) and a conditional expectation \(\Phi : M\rightarrow D\) onto a von Neumann subalgebra \(D\) such that \(\tau = \tau\circ\Phi\); (ii) \(A\) is weak* closed and \(A\cap A^* = D\); (c) \(\Phi\) is multiplicative on \(A\). The authors are able to enlarge and close a circle of results about these objects thus achieving a number of characterisations of maximal subdiagonal algebras. Namely, they show that the following conditions are equivalent: (i) \(A + A^*\) is weak* dense in \(M\) (equivalently, by results of \textit{W. B. Arveson} [Am. J. Math. 89, 578--642 (1967; Zbl 0183.42501)] and \textit{R. Exel} [Am. J. Math. 110, No.~4, 775--782 (1988; Zbl 0665.46047)], \(A\) is maximal subdiagonal); (ii) every element \(b\in M\) with \(b\geq \epsilon 1\) for some \(\epsilon > 0\) may be written in the form \(b = a^*a\) for some invertible \(a\in A\); (iii) every element \(b\in M\) with \(b\geq \epsilon 1\) for some \(\epsilon > 0\) is the norm limit of elements of the form \(b = a^*a\) for some invertible \(a\in A\); (iv) \(A\) satisfies a non-commutative version of Szeg\(\ddot{o}\)'s theorem (a condition involving the Fuglede-Kadison determinant shown by Arveson to be equivalent to two other conditions, Jensen's inequality and Jensen's formula); (v) \(A = \{x\in M : \tau(x(A\cap\ker \Phi)) = 0\}\) and the extension of \(\tau| _A\) to a normal state of \(M\) is unique; (vi) \(A+A^*\) is dense in \(L^2(M)\) and the extension of \(\tau| _A\) to a normal state of \(M\) is unique. Implication (i)\(\Rightarrow\)(ii) of the above theorem was established in the aformentioned paper of Arveson, while implication (i)\(\Rightarrow\)(iv) was previously proved by \textit{L. E. Labuschagne} in [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 133, No. 12, 3643--3646 (2005; Zbl 1086.46044)].