A higher rank numerical semigroup is a positive cone whose seminormalization is isomorphic to the free abelian semigroup. The corresponding nonselfadjoint semigroup algebras are known to provide examples that answer Arvesons Dilation Problem to the negative. Here we show that these algebras share the polydisc as the character space in a canonical way. We subsequently use this feature in order to identify higher rank numerical semigroups from the corresponding nonselfadjoint algebras.
We study strong compactly aligned product systems of $mathbb{Z}_+^N$ over a C*-algebra $A$. We provide a description of their Cuntz-Nica-Pimsner algebra in terms of tractable relations coming from ideals of $A$. This approach encompasses product systems where the left action is given by compacts, as well as a wide class of higher rank graphs (beyond row-finite). Moreover we analyze higher rank factorial languages and their C*-algebras. Many of the rank one results in the literature find here their higher rank analogues. In particular, we show that the Cuntz-Nica-Pimsner algebra of a higher rank sofic language coincides with the Cuntz-Krieger algebra of its unlabeled follower set higher rank graph. However there are also differences. For example, the Cuntz-Nica-Pimsner can lie in-between the first quantization and its quotient by the compactly supported operators.
We study two classes of operator algebras associated with a unital subsemigroup $P$ of a discrete group $G$: one related to universal structures, and one related to co-universal structures. First we provide connections between universal C*-algebras that arise variously from isometric representations of $P$ that reflect the space $mathcal{J}$ of constructible right ideals, from associated Fell bundles, and from induced partial actions. This includes connections of appropriate quotients with the strong covariance relations in the sense of Sehnem. We then pass to the reduced representation $mathrm{C}^*_lambda(P)$ and we consider the boundary quotient $partial mathrm{C}^*_lambda(P)$ related to the minimal boundary space. We show that $partial mathrm{C}^*_lambda(P)$ is co-universal in two different classes: (a) with respect to the equivariant constructible isometric representations of $P$; and (b) with respect to the equivariant C*-covers of the reduced nonselfadjoint semigroup algebra $mathcal{A}(P)$. If $P$ is an Ore semigroup, or if $G$ acts topologically freely on the minimal boundary space, then $partial mathrm{C}^*_lambda(P)$ coincides with the usual C*-envelope $mathrm{C}^*_{text{env}}(mathcal{A}(P))$ in the sense of Arveson. This covers total orders, finite type and right-angled Artin monoids, the Thompson monoid, multiplicative semigroups of nonzero algebraic integers, and the $ax+b$-semigroups over integral domains that are not a field. In particular, we show that $P$ is an Ore semigroup if and only if there exists a canonical $*$-isomorphism from $partial mathrm{C}^*_lambda(P)$, or from $mathrm{C}^*_{text{env}}(mathcal{A}(P))$, onto $mathrm{C}^*_lambda(G)$. If any of the above holds, then $mathcal{A}(P)$ is shown to be hyperrigid.
We present some general theorems about operator algebras that are algebras of functions on sets, including theories of local algebras, residually finite dimensional operator algebras and algebras that can be represented as the scalar multipliers of a vector-valued reproducing kernel Hilbert space. We use these to further develop a quantized function theory for various domains that extends and unifies Aglers theory of commuting contractions and the Arveson-Drury-Popescu theory of commuting row contractions. We obtain analogous factorization theorems, prove that the algebras that we obtain are dual operator algebras and show that for many domains, supremums over all commuting tuples of operators satisfying certain inequalities are obtained over all commuting tuples of matrices.
We analyze the dichotomy amenable/paradoxical in the context of (discrete, countable, unital) semigroups and corresponding semigroup rings. We consider also F{o}lners type characterizations of amenability and give an example of a semigroup whose semigroup ring is algebraically amenable but has no F{o}lner sequence. In the context of inverse semigroups $S$ we give a characterization of invariant measures on $S$ (in the sense of Day) in terms of two notions: $domain$ $measurability$ and $localization$. Given a unital representation of $S$ in terms of partial bijections on some set $X$ we define a natural generalization of the uniform Roe algebra of a group, which we denote by $mathcal{R}_X$. We show that the following notions are then equivalent: (1) $X$ is domain measurable; (2) $X$ is not paradoxical; (3) $X$ satisfies the domain F{o}lner condition; (4) there is an algebraically amenable dense *-subalgebra of $mathcal{R}_X$; (5) $mathcal{R}_X$ has an amenable trace; (6) $mathcal{R}_X$ is not properly infinite and (7) $[0] ot=[1]$ in the $K_0$-group of $mathcal{R}_X$. We also show that any tracial state on $mathcal{R}_X$ is amenable. Moreover, taking into account the localization condition, we give several C*-algebraic characterizations of the amenability of $X$. Finally, we show that for a certain class of inverse semigroups, the quasidiagonality of $C_r^*left(Xright)$ implies the amenability of $X$. The converse implication is false.
We consider the Fourier-Stietljes algebra B(G) of a locally compact group G. We show that operator amenablility of B(G) implies that a certain semitolpological compactification of G admits only finitely many idempotents. In the case that G is connected, we show that operator amenability of B(G) entails that $G$ is compact.