Uniform algebra

Mathematical concept

In functional analysis, a uniform algebra A on a compact Hausdorff topological space X is a closed (with respect to the uniform norm) subalgebra of the C*-algebra C(X) (the continuous complex-valued functions on X) with the following properties:^[1]

the constant functions are contained in A

for every x, y

\in

X there is f

\in

A with f(x)

\neq

f(y). This is called separating the points of X.

As a closed subalgebra of the commutative Banach algebra C(X) a uniform algebra is itself a unital commutative Banach algebra (when equipped with the uniform norm). Hence, it is, (by definition) a Banach function algebra.

A uniform algebra A on X is said to be natural if the maximal ideals of A are precisely the ideals $M_{x}$ of functions vanishing at a point x in X.

Abstract characterization

If A is a unital commutative Banach algebra such that $||a^{2}||=||a||^{2}$ for all a in A, then there is a compact Hausdorff X such that A is isomorphic as a Banach algebra to a uniform algebra on X. This result follows from the spectral radius formula and the Gelfand representation.

Notes

^ (Gamelin 2005, p. 25)

References

Gamelin, Theodore W. (2005). Uniform Algebras. American Mathematical Soc. ISBN 978-0-8218-4049-8.
Gorin, E.A. (2001) [1994], "Uniform algebra", Encyclopedia of Mathematics, EMS Press

Functional analysis (topics – glossary)

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Banach Besov Fréchet Hilbert Hölder Nuclear Orlicz Schwartz Sobolev Topological vector
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Category

v t e Spectral theory and ^*-algebras
Basic concepts	Involution/-algebra Banach algebra B-algebra C-algebra Noncommutative topology Projection-valued measure Spectrum Spectrum of a C-algebra Spectral radius Operator space
Main results	Gelfand–Mazur theorem Gelfand–Naimark theorem Gelfand representation Polar decomposition Singular value decomposition Spectral theorem Spectral theory of normal C*-algebras
Special Elements/Operators	Isospectral Normal operator Hermitian/Self-adjoint operator Unitary operator Unit
Spectrum	Krein–Rutman theorem Normal eigenvalue Spectrum of a C*-algebra Spectral radius Spectral asymmetry Spectral gap
Decomposition	Decomposition of a spectrum Continuous Point Residual Approximate point Compression Direct integral Discrete Spectral abscissa
Spectral Theorem	Borel functional calculus Min-max theorem Positive operator-valued measure Projection-valued measure Riesz projector Rigged Hilbert space Spectral theorem Spectral theory of compact operators Spectral theory of normal C*-algebras
Special algebras	Amenable Banach algebra With an Approximate identity Banach function algebra Disk algebra Nuclear C*-algebra Uniform algebra Von Neumann algebra Tomita–Takesaki theory
Finite-Dimensional	Alon–Boppana bound Bauer–Fike theorem Numerical range Schur–Horn theorem
Generalizations	Dirac spectrum Essential spectrum Pseudospectrum Structure space (Shilov boundary)
Miscellaneous	Abstract index group Banach algebra cohomology Cohen–Hewitt factorization theorem Extensions of symmetric operators Fredholm theory Limiting absorption principle Schröder–Bernstein theorems for operator algebras Sherman–Takeda theorem Unbounded operator
Examples	Wiener algebra
Applications	Almost Mathieu operator Corona theorem Hearing the shape of a drum (Dirichlet eigenvalue) Heat kernel Kuznetsov trace formula Lax pair Proto-value function Ramanujan graph Rayleigh–Faber–Krahn inequality Spectral geometry Spectral method Spectral theory of ordinary differential equations Sturm–Liouville theory Superstrong approximation Transfer operator Transform theory Weyl law Wiener–Khinchin theorem