We present a new approach to the amenability of groupoids (both in the measure theoretical and the topological setups) based on using Markov operators. We introduce the notion of an invariant Markov operator on a groupoid and show that the Liouville property (absence of non-trivial bounded harmonic functions) for such an operator implies amenability of the groupoid. Moreover, the groupoid action on the Poisson boundary of any invariant operator is always amenable. This approach subsumes as particular cases numerous earlier results on amenability for groups, actions, equivalence relations and foliations. For instance, we establish in a unified way topological amenability of the boundary action for isometry groups of Gromov hyperbolic spaces, Riemannian symmetric spaces and affine buildings.
We show that the Liouville property and Reiter's condition are equivalent for semigroupoids. This result applies to semigroups as well as semigroup actions. In the special case of measured groupoids and locally compact groupoids, our result proves Kaimanovich's conjecture of the equivalence of amenability and the Liouville property.
Motivated by a result of Ky Fan in 1965, we establish a characterization of a left amenable F-algebra (which includes the group algebra and the Fourier algebra of a locally compact group and quantum group algebras, or more generally the predual algebra of a Hopf von Neumann algebra) in terms of a finite dimensional invariant subspace property. This is done by first revealing a fixed point property for the semigroup of norm one positive linear func- tionals in the algebra. Our result answers an open question posted in Tokyo in 1993 by the first author (see [25, Problem 5]). We also show that th…
For a locally convex $^*$-algebra $A$ equipped with a fixed continuous $^*$-character $\varepsilon$, we define a cohomological property, called property $(FH)$, which is similar to character amenability. Let $C_c(G)$ be the space of continuous functions on a second countable locally compact group $G$ with compact supports, equipped with the convolution $^*$-algebra structure and a certain inductive topology. We show that $(C_c(G), \varepsilon_G)$ has property $(FH)$ if and only if $G$ has property $(T)$. On the other hand, many Banach algebras equipped with canonical characters have property $…
In this paper we study conditions on a Banach space X that ensure that the Banach algebra K(X) of compact operators is amenable. We give a symmetrized approximation property of X which is proved to be such a condition. This property is satisfied by a wide range of Banach spaces including all the classical spaces. We then investigate which constructions of new Banach spaces from old ones preserve the property of carrying amenable algebras of compact operators. Roughly speaking, dual spaces, predual spaces and certain tensor products do inherit this property and direct sums do not. For direct su…
In this note, we study the Arens regularity of projective tensor product $A\hat{\otimes}B$ whenever $A$ and $B$ are Arens regular. We establish some new conditions for showing that the Banach algebras $A$ and $B$ are Arens regular if and only if $A\hat{\otimes}B$ is Arens regular. We also introduce some new concepts as left-weak$^*$-weak convergence property [$Lw^*wc-$property] and right-weak$^*$-weak convergence property [$Rw^*wc-$property] and for Banach algebra $A$, suppose that $A^*$ and $A^{**}$, respectively, have $Rw^*wc-$property and $Lw^*wc-$property. Then if $A^{**}$ is weakly amenab…
Consider an inclusion of diffuse von Neumann algebras A c M . We say that A c M has the absorbing amenability property if for any diffuse subalgebra B c A and any amenable intermediate algebra B c D c M we have that D is contained in A. We prove that the cup subalgebra associated to any subfactor planar algebra has the absorbing amenability property.
A surjective bounded homomorphism fails to preserve $n$-weak amenability, in general. We however show that it preserves the property if the involved homomorphism enjoys a right inverse. We examine this fact for certain homomorphisms on several Banach algebras.
A common fixed point property for semigroups is applied to show that the group algebra $L^1(G)$ of a locally compact group $G$ is $2m$-weakly amenable for each integer $m\geq 1$.
In this paper we present a fixed point property for amenable hypergroups which is analogous to Rickert's fixed point theorem for semigroups. It equates the existence of a left invariant mean on the space of weakly right uniformly continuous functions to the existence of a fixed point for any action of the hypergroup. Using this fixed point property, a certain class of hypergroups are shown to have a left Haar measure.
We show that the amenability of a locally compact group $G$ is equivalent to a factorization property of $VN(G)$ which is given by $ VN(G) = <VN(G)^*VN(G)>$. This answer partially two problems proposed by Z. Hu and M. Neufang in their article \textit{Distinguishing properties of Arens irregularity}, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 137 (2009), no. 5, 1753-1761.
We give for a compact group G, a full characterisation of when its Fourier algebra A(G) is weakly amenable: when the connected component of the identity G_e is abelian. This condition is also equivalent to the hyper-Tauberian property for A(G), and to having the anti-diagonal D^v={(s,s^{-1}):s is in G} being a set of spectral synthesis for A(GXG). We show the relationship between amenability and weak amenability of A(G), and (operator) amenability and (operator) weak amenability of A_D(G), an algebra defined by the authors in arXiv:0705.4277. We close by extending our results to some classes o…
In this paper, we introduce a weak form of amenability on topological semigroups that we call $φ$-amenability, where $φ$ is a character on a topological semigroup. Some basic properties of this new notion are obtained and by giving some examples, we show that this definition is weaker than the amenability of semigroups. As a noticeable result, for a topological semigroup $S$, it is shown that if $S$ is $φ$-amenable, then $S$ is amenable. Moreover, $φ$-ergodicity for a topological semigroup $S$ is introduced and it is proved that under some conditions on $S$ and a Banach space $X$, $φ$-amenabil…
It is well-known that a Kleinian group is amenable if and only if it is elementary. We establish an analogous property for equivalence relations and foliations with Gromov hyperbolic leaves: they are amenable if and only if they are elementary in the sense that one can assign (in a measurable way) to any leaf a finite subset of its hyperbolic boundary (as in the group case, such subsets cannot actually contain more than 2 points). The analogous result for actions of word hyperbolic groups with a quasi-invariant measure is that such an action is amenable if and only if it factorizes through the…
We investigate weak amenability of the Banach algebra A(X) of approximable operators on a Banach space X and its relation to factorization properties of operators in A(X). We show that if A(X) is weakly amenable, then either A(X) is self-induced (a nice factorization property), or X is very special, combining some of the exotic properties of the spaces of Gowers and Maurey and of Pisier. In the class of self-induced Banach algebras we show that weak amenability is preserved under an equivalence of Morita type. Using this we extend some results of A. Blanco about weak amenability of A(X).
We establish a characterization of amenability for general Hausdorff topological groups in terms of matchings with respect to finite uniform coverings. Furthermore, we prove that it suffices to just consider two-element uniform coverings. We also show that extremely amenable as well as compactly approximable topological groups satisfy a perfect matching property condition -- the latter even with regard to arbitrary uniform coverings. Finally, we prove that the automorphism group of a Fraïssé limit of a metric Fraïssé class is amenable if and only if the considered metric Fraïssé class has a ce…
We study harmonic functions and Poisson boundaries for Borel probability measures on general (i.e., not necessarily locally compact) topological groups, and we prove that a second-countable topological group is amenable if and only if it admits a fully supported, regular Borel probability measure with trivial Poisson boundary. This generalizes work of Kaimanovich--Vershik and Rosenblatt, confirms a general topological version of Furstenberg's conjecture, and entails a characterization of the amenability of isometry groups in terms of the Liouville property for induced actions. Moreover, our re…
We establish several new characterizations of amenable $W^*$- and $C^*$-dynamical systems over arbitrary locally compact groups. In the $W^*$-setting we show that amenability is equivalent to (1) a Reiter property and (2) the existence of a certain net of completely positive Herz-Schur multipliers of $(M,G,α)$ converging point weak* to the identity of $G\bar{\ltimes}M$. In the $C^*$-setting, we prove that amenability of $(A,G,α)$ is equivalent to an analogous Herz-Schur multiplier approximation of the identity of the reduced crossed product $G\ltimes A$, as well as a particular case of the pos…
The weak Haagerup property for locally compact groups and the weak Haagerup constant was recently introduced by the second author. The weak Haagerup property is weaker than both weak amenability introduced by Cowling and the first author and the Haagerup property introduced by Connes and Choda. In this paper it is shown that a connected simple Lie group G has the weak Haagerup property if and only if the real rank of G is zero or one. Hence for connected simple Lie groups the weak Haagerup property coincides with weak amenability. Moreover, it turns out that for connected simple Lie groups the…
The original definition of amenability given by von Neumann in the highly non-constructive terms of means was later recast by Day using approximately invariant probability measures. Moreover, as it was conjectured by Furstenberg and proved by Kaimanovich-Vershik and Rosenblatt, the amenability of a locally compact group is actually equivalent to the existence of a single probability measure on the group with the property that the sequence of its convolution powers is asymptotically invariant. In the present article we extend this characterization of amenability to measured groupoids. It implie…
We construct a singly generated subalgebra of ${\mathcal K}({\mathcal H})$ which is non-amenable, yet is boundedly approximately contractible. The example embeds into a homogeneous von Neumann algebra. We also observe that there are singly generated, biflat subalgebras of finite Type I von Neumann algebras, which are not amenable (and hence are not isomorphic to C*-algebras). Such an example can be used to show that a certain extension property for commutative operator algebras, which is shown in arXiv:1012.4259 to follow from amenability, does not necessarily imply amenability.
Let $Γ$ be a countable group acting on a countable set $X$ by permutations. We give a necessary and sufficient condition for the action to have a quasi-invariant mean with a given cocycle. This can be viewed as a combinatorial analogue of the condition for the existence of a quasi-invariant measure in the Borel case given by Miller. Then we show a geometric condition that guarantees that the corresponding action on the Stone-Čech compactification is Zimmer amenable. The geometric condition (weighted hyperfiniteness) resembles Property A. We do not know the exact relation between the two notion…
Using a coupling for the weighted sum of independent random variables and the explicit expression of the transition semigroup of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes driven by compound Poisson processes, we establish the existence of a successful coupling and the Liouville theorem for general Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes. Then we present the explicit coupling property of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes directly from the behaviour of the corresponding symbol or characteristic exponent. This approach allows us to derive gradient estimates for Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes via the symbol.
We introduce notions of finite presentation and co-exactness which serve as qualitative and quantitative analogues of finite-dimensionality for operator modules over completely contractive Banach algebras. With these notions we begin the development of a local theory of operator modules by introducing analogues of the local lifting property, nuclearity, and semi-discreteness. For a large class of operator modules we prove that the local lifting property is equivalent to flatness, generalizing the operator space result of Kye and Ruan. We pursue applications to abstract harmonic analysis, where…
We prove an extension property for $M_d$-multipliers from a subgroup to the ambient group, showing that $M_{d+1}(G)$ is strictly contained in $M_d(G)$ whenever $G$ contains a free subgroup. Another consequence of this result is the stability of the $M_d$-approximation property under group extensions. We also show that Baumslag-Solitar groups are $M_d$-weakly amenable with $\boldsymbolΛ(\operatorname{BS}(m,n),d)=1$ for all $d\geq 2$. Finally, we show that, for simple Lie groups with finite centre, $M_d$-weak amenability is equivalent to weak amenability, and we provide some estimates on the con…
We show that amenability of a group acting by homeomorphisms can be deduced from a certain local property of the action and recurrency of the orbital Schreier graphs. This covers amenability of a wide class groups, the amenability of which was an open problem, as well as unifies many known examples to one general proof. In particular, this includes Grigorchuk's group, Basilica group, the full topological group of Cantor minimal system, groups acting on rooted trees by bounded automorphisms, groups generated by finite automata of linear activity growth, groups that naturally appear in holomorph…
This work investigates spectrum and root functions (that is, eigen- and associated functions) of a Sturm-Liouville problem involving an abstract linear operator (nonselfadjoint in general) in the equation together with supplementary transmission conditions at the one interior singular point. So, the problem under consideration is not pure differential pro lem. At first we establish isomorphism and coerciveness with respect to the spectral parameter for the corresponding nonhomogeneous problem. Then by suggesting an own our method we prove that the spectrum of the considered problem is discrete…
We study topological groups $G$ for which the universal minimal $G$-system $M(G)$, or the universal irreducible affine $G$-system $IA(G)$ are tame. We call such groups intrinsically tame and convexly intrinsically tame. These notions are generalized versions of extreme amenability and amenability, respectively. When $M(G)$, as a $G$-system, admits a circular order we say that $G$ is intrinsically circularly ordered. This implies that $G$ is intrinsically tame. We show that for every circularly ultrahomogeneous action $G \curvearrowright X$ on a circularly ordered set $X$ the topological group …
