Completions of Boolean algebras of projections and weak-star closures of C*-algebras on dual Banach spaces

Abstract

AbstractPalmer has shown that those hermitians in the weak-star operator closure of a commutative C*-algebra represented on a dual Banach space X that are known to commute with the initial C*-algebra form the real part of a weakly closed C*-algebra on X. Relying on a result of Murphy, it is shown in this paper that this last proviso may be dropped, and that the weak-star closure is even a W*-algebra.When the dual Banach space X is separable, one can prove a similar result for C*-equivalent algebras, via a ‘separable patch’ completion theorem for Boolean algebras of projections on such spaces.