We determine when contractive idempotents in the measure algebra of a locally compact group commute. We consider a dynamical version of the same result. We also look at some properties of groups of measures whose identity is a contactive idempotent.
We let the central Fourier algebra, ZA(G), be the subalgebra of functions u in the Fourier algebra A(G) of a compact group, for which u(xyx^{-1})=u(y) for all x,y in G. We show that this algebra admits bounded point derivations whenever G contains a
non-abelian closed connected subgroup. Conversely when G is virtually abelian, then ZA(G) is amenable. Furthermore, for virtually abelian G, we establish which closed ideals admit bounded approximate identities. We also show that if ZA(G) is weakly amenable, even hyper-Tauberian, exactly when G admits no non-abelian connected subgroup. We also study the amenability constant of ZA(G) for finite G and exhibit totally disconnected groups G for which ZA(G) is non-amenable.
Let G be a locally compact group, and let A(G) and B(G) denote its Fourier and Fourier-Stieltjes algebras. These algebras are dual objects of the group and measure algebras, L^1(G) and M(G), in a sense which generalizes the Pontryagin duality theorem
on abelian groups. We wish to consider the amenability properties of A(G) and B(G) and compare them to such properties for L^1(G) and M(G). For us, ``amenability properties refers to amenability, weak amenability, and biflatness, as well as some properties which are more suited to special settings, such as the hyper-Tauberian property for semisimple commutative Banach algebras. We wish to emphasize that the theory of operator spaces and completely bounded maps plays an indispensable role when studying A(G) and B(G). We also show some applications of amenability theory to problems of complemented ideals and homomorphisms.
Let G be a locally compact group, and ZL1(G) be the centre of its group algebra. We show that when $G$ is compact ZL1(G) is not amenable when G is either nonabelian and connected, or is a product of infinitely many finite nonabelian groups. We also,
study, for some non-compact groups G, some conditions which imply amenability and hyper-Tauberian property, for ZL1(G).
For any finite unital commutative idempotent semigroup S, a unital semilattice, we show how to compute the amenability constant of its semigroup algebra l^1(S), which is always of the form 4n+1. We then show that these give lower bounds to amenabilit
y constants of certain Banach algebras graded over semilattices. We show that there is no commutative semilattice with amenability constant between 5 and 9.
