Pere Ara - Böcker

Many problems in operator theory lead to the consideration ofoperator equa­ tions, either directly or via some reformulation. More often than not, how­ ever, the underlying space is too 'small' to contain solutions of these equa­ tions and thus it has to be 'enlarged' in some way. The Berberian-Quigley enlargement of a Banach space, which allows one to convert approximate into genuine eigenvectors, serves as a classical example. In the theory of operator algebras, a C*-algebra A that turns out to be small in this sense tradition­ ally is enlarged to its (universal) enveloping von Neumann algebra A". This works well since von Neumann algebras are in many respects richer and, from the Banach space point of view, A" is nothing other than the second dual space of A. Among the numerous fruitful applications of this principle is the well-known Kadison-Sakai theorem ensuring that every derivation 8 on a C*-algebra A becomes inner in A", though 8 may not be inner in A. The transition from A to A" however is not an algebraic one (and cannot be since it is well known that the property of being a von Neumann algebra cannot be described purely algebraically). Hence, ifthe C*-algebra A is small in an algebraic sense, say simple, it may be inappropriate to move on to A". In such a situation, A is typically enlarged by its multiplier algebra M(A).

This book offers a comprehensive introduction by three of the leading experts in the field, collecting fundamental results and open problems in a single volume.Since Leavitt path algebras were first defined in 2005, interest in these algebras has grown substantially, with ring theorists as well as researchers working in graph C*-algebras, group theory and symbolic dynamics attracted to the topic. Providing a historical perspective on the subject, the authors review existing arguments, establish new results, and outline the major themes and ring-theoretic concepts, such as the ideal structure, Z-grading and the close link between Leavitt path algebras and graph C*-algebras. The book also presents key lines of current research, including the Algebraic Kirchberg Phillips Question, various additional classification questions, and connections to noncommutative algebraic geometry.Leavitt Path Algebras will appeal to graduate students and researchers working in the field and related areas, such as C*-algebras and symbolic dynamics. With its descriptive writing style, this book is highly accessible.