Cohen-Host type idempotent theorems for representations on Banach spaces and applications to Figà-Talamanca-Herz algebras (Q868821)

The author generalizes to the Figà-Talamanca-Herz algebras \(A_p(G)\) some recent results which were previously proved for the Fourier algebra \(A(G)\) and the Fourier-Stieltjes algebra \(B(G)\) of a locally compact group \(G\). These results are based on \textit{B. Host}'s version [Bull. Soc. Math. Fr. 114, 215--223 (1986; Zbl 0606.43002)] of P. Cohen's idempotent theorem in abelian locally compact groups: for every locally compact group \(G\), the idempotents of \(B(G)\) are the indicator functions of the sets in the coset ring \({\mathcal R}(G)\) of \(G\). Since the elements of \(B(G)\) can be interpreted as the coefficient functions of the unitary representations of \(G\) on Hilbert spaces, Host's result can be read as follows: if the indicator function of a subset of \(G\) is a coefficient function of a unitary representation of \(G\) on a Hilbert space, then this set is in \({\mathcal R}(G)\). To extend results from \(A(G) = A_2(G)\) to the other \(A_p(G)\)'s, it is necessary to have versions of Host's result for representations of \(G\) on Banach spaces. Two such results are given here. The first one says that, if the locally compact group \(G\) is almost connected, then \(C\in {\mathcal R}(G)\) (which, by Host's theorem, is equivalent to \(\chi_C \in B(G)\)) if and only if \(\chi_C\) is a coefficient function of a uniformly bounded representation of \(G\) into a reflexive Banach space. The second one says that, for every locally compact group \(G\), \(C\) is a left coset of an open subgroup of \(G\) (which is equivalent, by a theorem of \textit{M. Ilie} and \textit{N. Spronk} [J. Funct. Anal. 225, No.~2, 480--499 (2005; Zbl 1077.43004)], to say that \(\chi_C\in B(G)\) and \(\| \chi_C\| =1\)) if and only if \(\chi_C\) is a normalized coefficient function of an isometric representation of \(G\) on a smooth Banach space, or on a Banach space whose dual is smooth. For applications to \(A_p(G)\), the author shows that every element of \(A_p(G)\) is a coefficient function of a representation of \(G\) on \(\ell_{p'}\big( L^{p'}(G)\big)\) (obtained in tensorizing the regular left representation of \(G\)). Then, by an argument using the notion of ultrapower of a Banach space, a characterization is given, among the closed ideals of \(A_p(G)\), of those which have an approximate identity bounded by \(1\). The last theorem asserts the equivalence, for \(G\) locally compact, between \((i)\) \(G\) is abelian and \((ii)\) \(A_p(G)\) is \(1\)-amenable for some \(p\in (1,\infty)\) (resp. for all \(p\in (1,\infty)\)), and hence these conditions are equivalent to \(A(G)\) is \(1\)-amenable.