In this paper we give some sufficient and some necessary conditions for an étale groupoid algebra to be a prime ring. As an application we recover the known primeness results for inverse semigroup algebras and Leavitt path algebras. It turns out that primeness of the algebra is connected with the dynamical property of topological transitivity of the groupoid. We obtain analogous results for semiprimeness.
In this work we realize Leavitt path algebras as partial skew groupoid rings. This yields a free path groupoid grading on Leavitt path algebras. Using this grading we characterize free path groupoid graded isomorphisms of Leavitt path algebras that preserves generators.
When the theory of Leavitt path algebras was already quite advanced, it was discovered that some of the more difficult questions were susceptible to a new approach using topological groupoids. The main result that makes this possible is that the Leavitt path algebra of a graph is graded isomorphic to the Steinberg algebra of the graph's boundary path groupoid. This expository paper has three parts: Part 1 is on the Steinberg algebra of a groupoid, Part 2 is on the path space and boundary path groupoid of a graph, and Part 3 is on the Leavitt path algebra of a graph. It is a self-contained refe…
We consider the ideal structure of Steinberg algebras over a commutative ring with identity. We focus on Hausdorff groupoids that are strongly effective in the sense that their reductions to closed subspaces of their unit spaces are all effective. For such a groupoid, we completely describe the ideal lattice of the associated Steinberg algebra over any commutative ring with identity. Our results are new even for the special case of Leavitt path algebras; so we describe explicitly what they say in this context, and give two concrete examples.
Let G be a locally compact, Hausdorff groupoid in which s is a local homeomorphism and the unit space is totally disconnected. Assume there is a continuous cocycle c from G into a discrete group $Γ$. We show that the collection A(G) of locally-constant, compactly supported functions on G is a dense *-subalgebra of C_c(G) and that it is universal for algebraic representations of the collection of compact open bisections of G. We also show that if G is the groupoid associated to a row-finite graph or k-graph with no sources, then A(G) is isomorphic to the associated Leavitt path algebra or Kumji…
In this article, we study properties as simplicity, solvability and nilpotency for Lie bracket algebras arising from Leavitt path algebras, based on the talented monoid of the underlying graph. We show that graded simplicity and simplicity of the Leavitt path algebra can be connected via the Lie bracket algebra. Moreover, we use the Gelfand-Kirillov dimension for the Leavitt path algebra for a classification of nilpotency and solvability.
In this article, we realize ultragraph Leavitt path algebras as Steinberg algebras. This realization allows us to use the groupoid approach to obtain structural results about these algebras. Using skew product groupoid, we show that ultragraph Leavitt path algebras are graded von Neumann regular rings. We characterize strongly graded ultragraph Leavitt path algebras and show that every ultragraph Leavitt path algebra is semiprimitive. Moreover, we characterize irreducible representations of ultragraph Leavitt path algebras. We also show that ultragraph Leavitt path algebras can be realized as …
In this article we establish relationships between Leavitt path algebras, talented monoids and the adjacency matrices of the underlying graphs. We show that indeed the adjacency matrix generates in some sense the group action on the generators of the talented monoid. With the help of this we deduce a form of the aperiodicity index of a graph via the talented monoid. We classify hereditary and saturated subsets via the adjacency matrix. Moreover we give a formula to compute all paths of a given length in a Leavitt path algebra based on the adjacency matrix. In addition we discuss the number of …
Let $α=(A_g,α_g)_{g\in G}$ be a group-type partial action of a connected groupoid $G$ on a ring $A=\bigoplus_{z\in G_0}A_z$ and $B=A\star_αG$ the corresponding partial skew groupoid ring. In the first part of this paper we investigate the relation of several ring theoretic properties between $A$ and $B$. For the second part, using that every Leavitt path algebra is isomorphic to a partial skew groupoid ring obtained from a partial groupoid action $λ$, we characterize when $λ$ is group-type. In such a case, we obtain ring theoretic properties of Leavitt path algebras from the results on general…
There is a tight relation between the geometry of a directed graph and the algebraic structure of a Leavitt path algebra associated to it. In this note, we show a similar connection between the geometry of the graph and the structure of a certain monoid associated to it. This monoid is isomorphic to the positive cone of the graded K0-group of the Leavitt path algebra which is naturally equipped with a Z-action. As an example, we show that a graph has a cycle without an exit if and only if the monoid has a periodic element. Consequently a graph has Condition (L) if and only if the group Z acts …
Let $S$ be a partial groupoid, that is, a set with a partial binary operation. An $S$-graded ring $R$ is said to be graded von Neumann regular if $x\in xRx$ for every homogeneous element $x\in R.$ Under the assumption that $S$ is cancellative, we characterize $S$-graded rings which are graded von Neumann regular. If a ring is $S$-graded von Neumann regular, and if $S$ is cancellative, then $S$ is such that for every $s\in S,$ there exist $s^{-1}\in S$ and idempotent elements $e,$ $f\in S$ for which $es=sf=s,$ $fs^{-1}=s^{-1}e=s^{-1},$ $ss^{-1}=e$ and $s^{-1}s=f,$ which is a property enjoyed by…
The author has previously associated to each commutative ring with unit $R$ and étale groupoid $\mathscr G$ with locally compact, Hausdorff and totally disconnected unit space an $R$-algebra $R\mathscr G$. In this paper we characterize when $R\mathscr G$ is Noetherian and when it is Artinian. As corollaries, we extend the characterization of Abrams, Aranda~Pino and Siles~Molina of finite dimensional and of Noetherian Leavitt path algebras over a field to arbitrary commutative coefficient rings and we recover the characterization of Okniński of Noetherian inverse semigroup algebras and of Zelma…
Let $G$ and $H$ be Hausdorff ample groupoids and let $R$ be a commutative unital ring. We show that if $G$ and $H$ are equivalent in the sense of Muhly-Renault-Williams, then the associated Steinberg algebras of locally constant $R$-valued functions with compact support are Morita equivalent. We deduce that collapsing a ``collapsible subgraph" of a directed graph in the sense of Crisp and Gow does not change the Morita-equivalence class of the associated Leavitt path $R$-algebra, and therefore a number of graphical constructions which yield Morita equivalent $C^*$-algebras also yield Morita eq…
The graph groupoids of directed graphs are topologically isomorphic if and only if there is a diagonal-preserving ring *-isomorphism between the Leavitt path algebras.
It is a conjecture that for the class of Leavitt path algebras associated to finite directed graphs, their graded Grothendieck groups $K_0^{\mathrm{gr}}$ are a complete invariant. For a Leavitt path algebra $L_{\mathsf k}(E)$, with coefficient in a field ${\mathsf k}$, the monoid of the positive cone of $K_0^{\mathrm{gr}}(L_{\mathsf k}(E))$ can be described completely in terms of the graph $E$. In this note we further investigate the structure of this "talented monoid", showing how it captures intrinsic properties of the graph and hence the structure of its associated Leavitt path algebras. In…
This paper studies simplicity, primitivity and semiprimitivity of algebras associated to étale groupoids. Applications to inverse semigroup algebras are presented. The results also recover the semiprimitivity of Leavitt path algebras and can be used to recover the known primitivity criterion for Leavitt path algebras.
We give a one-to-one correspondence between ideals in the Steinberg algebra of a Hausdorff ample groupoid $G$, and certain families of ideals in the group algebras of isotropy groups in $G$. This generalises a known ideal correspondence theorem for Steinberg algebras of strongly effective groupoids. We use this to give a complete graph-theoretic description of the ideal lattice of Leavitt path algebras over arbitrary commutative rings, generalising the classification of ideals in Leavitt path algebras over fields.
We show the reduced $C^*$-algebra of a graded ample groupoid is a strongly graded $C^*$-algebra if and only if the corresponding Steinberg algebra is a strongly graded ring. We apply this result to get a theorem about the Leavitt path algebra and $C^*$-algebra of an arbitrary graph.
An ultragraph gives rise to a labelled graph with some particular properties. In this paper we describe the algebras associated to such labelled graphs as groupoid algebras. More precisely, we show that the known groupoid algebra realization of ultragraph C*-algebras is only valid for ultragraphs for which the range of each edge is finite, and we extend this realization to any ultragraph (including ultragraphs with sinks). Using our machinery, we characterize the shift space associated to an ultragraph as the tight spectrum of the inverse semigroup associated to the ultragraph (viewed as a lab…
For a unital ring, it is an open question whether flatness of simple modules implies all modules are flat and thus the ring is von Neumann regular. The question was raised by Ramamurthi over 40 years ago who called such rings SF-rings (i.e., simple modules are flat). In this note we show that a SF Steinberg algebra of an ample Hausdorff groupoid, graded by an ordered group, has an aperiodic unit space. For graph groupoids this implies that the graphs are acyclic. Combining with the Abrams-Rangaswamy Theorem, it follows that SF Leavitt path algebras are regular, answering Ramamurthi's question …
Work of Jean Renault shows that, for topologically principal étale groupoids, a diagonal-preserving isomorphism of reduced $C^*$-algebras yields an isomorphism of groupoids. Several authors have proved analogues of this result for ample groupoid algebras over integral domains under suitable hypotheses. In this paper, we extend the known results by allowing more general coefficient rings and by weakening the hypotheses on the groupoids. Our approach has the additional feature that we only need to impose conditions on one of the two groupoids. Applications are given to Leavitt path algebras.
We introduce a graded homology theory for graded étale groupoids. For $\mathbb Z$-graded groupoids, we establish an exact sequence relating the graded zeroth-homology to non-graded one. Specialising to the arbitrary graph groupoids, we prove that the graded zeroth homology group with constant coefficients $\mathbb Z$ is isomorphic to the graded Grothendieck group of the associated Leavitt path algebra. To do this, we consider the diagonal algebra of the Leavitt path algebra of the covering graph of the original graph and construct the group isomorphism directly. Considering the trivial grading…
For an ample groupoid $\mathcal{G}$ and a unit $x$ of $\mathcal{G}$, Steinberg constructed the induction and restriction functors between the category of modules over the Steinberg algebra $A_R(\mathcal{G})$ and the category of modules over the isotropy group algebra $R\mathcal{G}_x$. In this paper, we prove a graded version of these functors and related results for the graded Steinberg algebra of a graded ample groupoid. As an application, the spectral simple and graded simple modules over the Leavitt path algebra $L_K(E)$ are classified. In particular, we show that many of previously known s…
We characterise when the Leavitt path algebras over $\mathbb{Z}$ of two arbitrary countable directed graphs are $*$-isomorphic by showing that two Leavitt path algebras over $\mathbb{Z}$ are $*$-isomorphic if and only if the corresponding graph groupoids are isomorphic (if and only if there is a diagonal preserving isomorphism between the corresponding graph $C^*$-algebras). We also prove that any $*$-homomorphism between two Leavitt path algebras over $\mathbb{Z}$ maps the diagonal to the diagonal. Both results hold for slight more general subrings of $\mathbb{C}$ than just $\mathbb{Z}$.
We show how to reconstruct a graded ample Hausdorff groupoid with topologically principal neutrally graded component from the ring structure of its graded Steinberg algebra over any commutative integral domain with 1, together with the embedding of the canonical abelian subring of functions supported on the unit space. We deduce that diagonal-preserving ring isomorphism of Leavitt path algebras implies $C^*$-isomorphism of $C^*$-algebras for graphs $E$ and $F$ in which every cycle has an exit.
Given an arbitrary graph $E$ we investigate the relationship between $E$ and the groupoid $G_E$. We show that there is a lattice isomorphism between the lattice of pairs $(H, S)$, where $H$ is a hereditary and saturated set of vertices and $S$ is a set of breaking vertices {associated to $H $}, onto the lattice of open invariant subsets of $G_E^{(0)}$. We use this lattice isomorphism to characterize the decomposability of the Leavitt path algebra $L_K(E)$, where $K$ is a field. First we find a graph condition to characterise when an open invariant subset of $G_E^{(0)}$ is closed. Then we give …
We investigate the algebra of a Hausdorff ample groupoid, introduced by Steinberg, over a commutative semiring S. In particular, we obtain a complete characterization of congruence-simpleness for such Steinberg algebras, extending the well-known characterizations when S is a field or a commutative ring. We also provide a criterion for the Steinberg algebra of the graph groupoid associated to an arbitrary graph to be congruence-simple. Motivated by a result of Clark and Sims, we show that, over the Boolean semifield, the natural homomorphism from the Leavitt path algebra to the Steinberg algebr…
We study strongly graded groupoids, which are topological groupoids $\mathcal G$ equipped with a continuous, surjective functor $κ: \mathcal G \to Γ$, to a discrete group $Γ$, such that $κ^{-1}(γ)κ^{-1}(δ) = κ^{-1}(γδ)$, for all $γ, δ\in Γ$. We introduce the category of graded $\mathcal G$-sheaves, and prove an analogue of Dade's Theorem: $\mathcal G$ is strongly graded if and only if every graded $\mathcal G$-sheaf is induced by a $\mathcal G_ε$-sheaf. The Steinberg algebra of a graded ample groupoid is graded, and we prove that the algebra is strongly graded if and only if the groupoid is. A…
In this paper, we show that a unital simple Steinberg algebra is central, and a nonunital simple Steinberg algebra has zero center. We identify the fields $K$ and Hausdorff ample groupoids $\mathcal{G}$ for which the simple Steinberg algebra $A_K(\mathcal{G})$ yields a simple Lie algebra $[A_K(\mathcal{G}), A_K(\mathcal{G})]$. We apply the obtained results on simple Leavitt path algebras, simple Kumjian-Pask algebras and simple Exel-Pardo algebras to determine their associated Lie algebras are simple. In particular, we give easily computable criteria to determine which Lie algebras of the form…
Given an arbitrary graph, we describe the center of its Leavitt path algebra over a commutative unital ring. Our proof uses the Steinberg algebra model of the Leavitt path algebra. A key ingredient is a characterization of compact open invariant subsets of the unit space of the graph groupoid in terms of the underlying graph: an open invariant subset is compact if and only if its associated hereditary and saturated set of vertices satisfies Condition (F). We also give a basis of the center. Its cardinality depends on the number of minimal compact open invariant subsets of the unit space.
We show that the endomorphism ring of any nonzero finitely generated projective module over the Leavitt path algebra $L_K(E)$ of an arbitrary graph $E$ with coefficients in a field $K$ is isomorphic to a Steinberg algebra. This yields in particular that every nonzero corner of the Leavitt path algebra of an arbitrary graph is isomorphic to a Steinberg algebra. This in its turn gives that every $K$-algebra with local units which is Morita equivalent to the Leavitt path algebra of a row-countable graph is isomorphic to a Steinberg algebra. Moreover, we prove that a corner by a projection of a $C…
We study Steinberg algebras constructed from ample Hausdorff groupoids over commutative integral domains with identity. We reconstruct (graded) groupoids from (graded) Steinberg algebras and use this to characterise when there is a diagonal-preserving (graded) isomorphism between two (graded) Steinberg algebras. We apply this characterisation to groupoids of directed graphs in order to study diagonal-preserving (graded) isomorphisms of Leavitt path algebras and graph $C^*$-algebras.
Kaplansky introduced the notions of CCR and GCR $C^*$-algebras because they have a tractable representation theory. Many years later, he introduced the notions of CCR and GCR rings. In this paper we characterize when the algebra of an ample groupoid over a field is CCR and GCR. The results turn out to be exact analogues of the corresponding characterization of locally compact groupoids with CCR and GCR $C^*$-algebras. As a consequence, we classify the CCR and GCR Leavitt path algebras.
The author has previously associated to each commutative ring with unit $\Bbbk$ and étale groupoid $\mathscr G$ with locally compact, Hausdorff, totally disconnected unit space a $\Bbbk$-algebra $\Bbbk\mathscr G$. The algebra $\Bbbk\mathscr G$ need not be unital, but it always has local units. The class of groupoid algebras includes group algebras, inverse semigroup algebras and Leavitt path algebras. In this paper we show that the category of unitary $\Bbbk\mathscr G$-modules is equivalent to the category of sheaves of $\Bbbk$-modules over $\mathscr G$. As a consequence we obtain a new proof …
For an ample Hausdorff groupoid $G$, and the Steinberg algebra $A_R(G)$ with coefficients in the commutative ring $R$ with unit, we describe the centraliser of subalgebra $A_R(U)$ with $U$ an open closed invariant subset of unit space of $G$. In particular, we obtain that the algebra of the interior of the isotropy is indeed the centraliser of the diagonal subalgebra of Steinberg algebra. This will unify several results in the literature and the corresponding results for Leavitt path algebras follow.
We study the category of left unital graded modules over the Steinberg algebra of a graded ample Hausdorff groupoid. In the first part of the paper, we show that this category is isomorphic to the category of unital left modules over the Steinberg algebra of the skew-product groupoid arising from the grading. To do this, we show that the Steinberg algebra of the skew product is graded isomorphic to a natural generalisation of the the Cohen-Montgomery smash product of the Steinberg algebra of the underlying groupoid with the grading group. In the second part of the paper, we study the minimal (…
We prove that $A_R(G) \otimes_R A_R(H) \cong A_R(G \times H)$, if $G$ and $H$ are Hausdorff ample groupoids. As part of the proof, we give a new universal property of Steinberg algebras. We then consider the isomorphism problem for tensor products of Leavitt algebras, and show that no diagonal-preserving isomorphism exists between $L_{2,R} \otimes L_{3,R}$ and $L_{2,R} \otimes L_{2,R}$. Indeed, there are no unexpected diagonal-preserving isomorphisms between tensor products of finitely many Leavitt algebras. We give an easy proof that every $*$-isomorphism of Steinberg algebras over the intege…
