4.10.

13 BOA Assignment 2
(Q1) It is well known that C([0, 1]) is a Banach space, moreover, if we define multiplication
by (note that this is a well defined multiplication operator as stated in the notes)
f g = 0,

f, g C([0, 1]),

then the space is in fact a Banach algebra (0 = kf gk kf kkgk for f, g C([0, 1]).
If we define an involution on this Banach algebra by complex conjugation, then for
f C[(0, 1)], we know
kf k = sup |f (x)| = sup |f (x)| = kfk = kf k,
x[0,1]

x[0,1]

i.e. this Banach algebra is in fact a Banach -algebra. However, for any f 6= 0 that
takes (at least one) complex values, we have that
f 6= f = f f = 0 = 0 = kf f k =
6 kf k2 ,
as f 6= 0. It follows that this space is not a C -algebra.
(Q6)

(i) Take some W , we want to show that A W . To this end consider

that for T A, W , as T W , we have that
hT , i = 0

T A

h, T i = 0

T A.

In particular, for S = T it follows that 0 = h, S i = h, T i, i.e. T W .

We have shown that A W and so W is in fact invariant under A.
(ii) Let I be the set of sets of mutually orthogonal subspaces of H each of which
is invariant under A and admits a cyclic vector. If we order I by inclusion
and note that the upper bound for a particular chain is given by the union
across the chain, then it follows from Zorns Lemma that I contains
a maximal
S
A X is all
element, X = {X : A}. If the closed linear span of Y =
X X

of H then we are done, so suppose that it is not, i.e. Y 6= 0. We know from

the previous question that Y is A invariant (as Y is); thus, for any y Y we
know that Ay AY Y is a cyclic, A-invariant space that is orthogonal
to Y . It follows that X {Ay} contradicts the maximality of X and so we
must have that Y = 0, i.e. X spans H.
(Q7)

(i) Fix a C algebra A and unitary element u A, furthermore, we consider the

commutative C -algebra B = C (1, u). We know that in B, (u ) = (u) for
all sp(B). It follows that
uu = 1 (uu ) = 1 (u)(u ) = 1 (u)(u) = 1 (u) T.
Furthermore, we have that B (u) T by the above. Finally, we need only
note that A (u) B (u) T.

(ii) Fix U as defined in the question. If we take f, g L2 (T) then

Z
Z
1
hU f, gi = f (z )g(z)dz = f (z)g(z 1 )dz = hf, U gi,
T

i.e.
n n Uo = U . As U = 1, it follows that C (1, U ) = {1, U }. If we note that
z
is an orthonormal basis for L2 (T) then (as Hilbert spaces)
2
nZ

L (T)
=
2


M  zn
z n
+ : , C ,
2
2
nN

where the inner product on the right hand side is defined similarly to that on
L2 (T). Note that each one of the spaces in the direct sum is cyclic with respect
n
to C (1, U ) (with vector z2 ), and for f L2 (T), we have U f = f f =
U 2 f = 2 f = 1; moreover, as the above space is finite dimensional
we in fact have (U ) = {1, 1} (restricted to this space). It follows that
the restriction
equivalent to Mx on B(L2 ({1, 1}, n )) where
E
D of Un is unitarily
n
n : f 7 f (U ) z2 , z2 . As U acts as multiplication by x, it follows that
the operator with which U is unitarily equivalent will send the function f to
a function that takes the value xf (x) = f (1) at x = 1, and xf (x) = f (1)
at x = 1. Furthermore, if we note that U 2 = 1 then for f C({1, 1}) we
have
+

 *X
n
n
zn
zn
z
z
n (f ) = f (U ) ,
=
ak U k ,
2
2
2
2
+k *
+
*
X
X
zn
zn
zn
zn
+
=
ak U ,
ak ,
2
2
2
2
even
odd
powers
powers







X
 n

  X
 X

n
n
n

 z


z
z
z


ak  ,
= 
ak  ,
+
= 
ak 
 odd

2
2
2
2
 even

 even

 powers 
powers
powers
n
z
2

z n



 f (1)f (1) 
are orthonormal. Moreover, we know that 
 =
2

as
and
P



even
a

k , and so it follows that we may rewrite the measure as n (f ) =
powers


 f (1)f (1) 

. Given this representation we may clearly make the following iden2
tification
L2 ({1, 1}, n )
= ({(, ) : , Z}, n )
f 7 (f (1), f (1))


. It is a direct translation of our
and where the measure n : (, ) 7 
2
previous statements that U is unitarily equivalent (on each of the N spaces)
to a multiplication operator that sends (, ) 7 (, ) (i.e. pointwise multiplication by (1, 1)). Finally then, we stitch the spaces back together to the
2

Hilbert space (similarly, take the obvious direct product of the measures)
M
L2 ({(, ) : , Z}, n )
nN

and note that U is unitarily equivalent to an operator that acts on this space as
multiplication by the vector (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, . . . ) (note that the extra 1 appears
at the start to deal with the one dimensional space for n = 0, and that the
alternating 1, 1 correspond to multiplication described above).
(iii) In most of what follows we will define our maps on the basis elements, where
we take the obvious extension to form a bounded linear operator. Set en to be
the basis element of `2 (Z) which is zero in all components but the nt h, where
it is one. We will identify `2 (Z) with L2 (T) via the unitary mapping
zn
U : `2 (Z) L2 (T) : en 7 ,
2
where
zn
U : L2 (T) `2 (Z) : 7 en .
2
We wish to show that Tn = n1 + n+1 acts as a multiplication operator on
n
the space L2 (T) by (z + z1 ). To this end we need only note that for z2 n Z
we have
 n 
z

(U T U )
= (U T ) (en ) = U (en1 + en+1 )
2

 n
 n 
1
z
z
z n1 z n+1
+ z = M 1 +z
= + =
z
z
2
2
2
2
It follows that (T ) = ess range(z + z1 ) = ess range(2<(z)) = [2, 2].
(Q8)

(i) If we recall that the self-adjoint elements of a C -algebra form a unital commutative C -algebra, then we know that on this space the Gelfand transform will
act as a isometric -isomorphism, i.e. kt xk = kt[
xk = k
x tk. Moreover,
as range(
x) = (x) R, it follows trivially from the definition of the uniform
norm that kt xk = sup(x) |t |.
(ii) (a) = (b) : Suppose that (x) R+ . If t kxk sup(x) || then t lies
to the right of (x) on the real line, it follows that the supremum kt xk =
sup(x) |t | we be obtained when takes as small a value as possible. As
(x) R+ by assumption, we have that this smallest value is bigger than 0.
It follows that
kt xk = sup |t | |t 0| = t
(x)

(b) = (c) : The claim is immediate.

(c) = (a) : Suppose that kt xk t for some real t kxk. It is a simple
observation that if t 0, then |t | t implies (amongst other things) that
0. It follows that as |t | t for all (x), that we have (x) R+ .
3

(iii) We know that

k(kxk + kyk) (x + y)k = k(kxk x) + (kyk y)k kkxk xk + kkyk yk.
Furthermore, by the last question (we are taking s = kxk and t = kyk) it
follows that
ks xk + kt yk t + s = kxk + kyk.
Combining what we have just shown yields the desired result.
(iv) Addition: It follows from the previous two questions (and the simple observation that A, B self-adjoint = A + B self-adjoint) that the set of all positive
elements is closed under addition.

Multiplication: If we multiply a positive and self-adjoint element A be some

non-negative, real valued scalar then A is again self-adjoint. Furthermore, for
6= 0 we know that A 1 = (A 1) is not invertible if and only if A 1
is not invertible, i.e. (A) = (A) and so (A) R+ = (A) R+
for all > 0. To see that that the set of all positive elements is closed under multiplication we take A, B positive and self-adjoint elements, we have
that (AB) = B A = AB as the space of self-adjoint operators form a
d =
commutative C -algebra; furthermore, we know that (AB) = range(AB)
b
b R+ since A, B positive. Thus, we have shown that AB
range(A)range(
B)
is again a positive element.

Closed: It remains only to see that the space is closed. To this end, take
a sequence of positive operators , An , n N such that An A for some
operator A. Define t = sup kAn k (we have that kAn k < for all n and
lim kAn k = kAk < = t exists). As t kAn k for all n N, it follows from
part (ii) that
kt Ak = lim kt An + An Ak lim kt An k + lim kAn Ak t.
n

As t = sup kAn k kAk it again from part (ii) that A is a positive operator.

(If it is not clear, the limit t An exists and so the above equation is well
defined).