On higher real and stable ranks for $CCR$ $C^*-$algebras

Abstract

We calculate the real rank and stable rank of CCR algebras which either have only finite dimensional irreducible representations or have finite topological dimension. We show that either rank of A is determined in a good way by the ranks of an ideal I and the quotient A/I in four cases: When A is CCR; when I has only finite dimensional irreducible representations; when I is separable, of generalized continuous trace and finite topological dimension, and all irreducible representations of I are infinite dimensional; or when I is separable, stable, has an approximate identity consisting of projections, and has the corona factorization property. We also present a counterexample on higher ranks of M(A), A subhomogeneous, and a theorem of P. Green on generalized continuous trace algebras.