Real C*-Algebras, United K-Theory, and the Künneth Formula

Abstract

We define united K-theory for real C*-algebras, generalizing Bousfield's topological united K-theory. United K-theory incorporates three functors -- real K-theory, complex K-theory, and self-conjugate K-theory -- and the natural transformations among them. The advantage of united K-theory over ordinary K-theory lies in its homological algebraic properties, which allow us to construct a Kunneth-type, non-splitting, short exact sequence whose middle term is the united K-theory of the tensor product of two real C*-algebras A and B which holds as long as the complexification of A is in the bootstrap category. Since united K-theory contains ordinary K-theory, our sequence provides a way to compute the K-theory of the tensor product of two real C*-algebras. As an application, we compute the united K-theory of the tensor product of two real Cuntz algebras. Unlike in the complex case, it turns out that the isomorphism class of the tensor product O_{k+1} otimes O_{l+1} is not determined solely by the greatest common divisor of k and l. Hence we have examples of non-isomorphic, simple, purely infinite, real C*-algebras whose complexifications are isomorphic.