Decomposition rank of UHF-absorbing C∗-algebras

Abstract

Let A be a unital separable simple C∗-algebra with a unique tracial state. We prove that if A is nuclear and quasidiagonal, then A tensored with the universal uniformly hyperfinite (UHF) algebra has decomposition rank at most one. We then prove that A is nuclear, quasidiagonal, and has strict comparison if and only if A has finite decomposition rank. For such A, we also give a direct proof that A tensored with a UHF algebra has tracial rank zero. Using this result, we obtain a counterexample to the Powers–Sakai conjecture.