We consider the reduction of problems on general noncommutative $L_p$-spaces to the corresponding ones on those associated with finite von Neumann algebras. The main tool is a unpublished result of the first named author which approximates any noncommutative $L_p$-space by tracial ones. We show that under some natural conditions a map between two von Neumann algebras extends to their crossed products by a locally compact abelian group or to their noncommutative $L_p$-spaces. We present applications of these results to the theory of noncommutative martingale inequalities by reducing most recent general noncommutative martingale/ergodic inequalities to those in the tracial case.
This paper is withdrawn. We found a mistake in Lemma 4.1
We show norm estimates for the sum of independent random variables in noncommutative $L_p$-spaces for $1<p<infty$ following our previous work. These estimates generalize the classical Rosenthal inequality in the commutative case. Among applications, we derive an equivalence for the $p$-norm of the singular values of a random matrix with independent entries, and characterize those symmetric subspaces and unitary ideals which can be realized as subspaces of a noncommutative $L_p$ for $2<p<infty$.
