We prove novel asymptotic freeness results in tracial ultraproduct von Neumann algebras. In particular, we show that whenever $M = M_1 \ast M_2$ is a tracial free product von Neumann algebra and $u_1 \in \mathscr U(M_1)$, $u_2 \in \mathscr U(M_2)$ are Haar unitaries, the relative commutants $\{u_1\}' \cap M^{\mathcal U}$ and $\{u_2\}' \cap M^{\mathcal U}$ are freely independent in the ultraproduct $M^{\mathcal U}$. Our proof relies on Mei–Ricard’s results [MR16] regarding $\operatorname {L}^p$-boundedness (for all $1 < p < +\infty $) of certain Fourier multipliers in tracial amalgamated free products von Neumann algebras. We derive two applications. Firstly, we obtain a general absorption result in tracial amalgamated free products that recovers several previous maximal amenability/Gamma absorption results. Secondly, we prove a new lifting theorem which we combine with our asymptotic freeness results and Chifan–Ioana–Kunnawalkam Elayavalli’s recent construction [CIKE22] to provide the first example of a $\mathrm {II_1}$ factor that does not have property Gamma and is not elementary equivalent to any free product of diffuse tracial von Neumann algebras.

The existence of isometric embedding of $S_q^m$ into $S_p^n$, where $1\leq p\neq q\leq \infty$ and $m,n\geq 2$, has been recently studied in [6]. In this article, we extend the study of isometric embeddability beyond the above-mentioned range of $p$ and $q$. More precisely, we show that there is no isometric embedding of the commutative quasi-Banach space $\ell _q^m(\mathbb {R})$ into $\ell _p^n(\mathbb {R})$, where $(q,p)\in (0,\infty )\times (0,1)$ and $p\neq q$. As non-commutative quasi-Banach spaces, we show that there is no isometric embedding of $S_q^m$ into $S_p^n$, where $(q,p)\in (0,2)\setminus \{1\}\times (0,1)$ $\cup \, \{1\}\times (0,1)\setminus \left \{\!\frac {1}{n}:n\in \mathbb {N}\right \}$ $\cup \, \{\infty \}\times (0,1)\setminus \left \{\!\frac {1}{n}:n\in \mathbb {N}\right \}$ and $p\neq q$. Moreover, in some restrictive cases, we also show that there is no isometric embedding of $S_q^m$ into $S_p^n$, where $(q,p)\in [2, \infty )\times (0,1)$. A new tool in our paper is the non-commutative Clarkson's inequality for Schatten class operators. Other tools involved are the Kato–Rellich theorem and multiple operator integrals in perturbation theory, followed by intricate computations involving power-series analysis.

Using probabilistic tools, we prove that any weak* continuous semigroup $(T_t)_{t \geqslant 0}$ of self-adjoint unital completely positive measurable Schur multipliers acting on the space $\mathrm {B}({\mathrm {L}}^2(X))$ of bounded operators on the Hilbert space ${\mathrm {L}}^2(X)$, where X is a suitable measure space, can be dilated by a weak* continuous group of Markov $*$-automorphisms on a bigger von Neumann algebra. We also construct a Markov dilation of these semigroups. Our results imply the boundedness of the McIntosh’s ${\mathrm {H}}^\infty $ functional calculus of the generators of these semigroups on the associated Schatten spaces and some interpolation results connected to ${\mathrm {BMO}}$-spaces. We also give an answer to a question of Steen, Todorov, and Turowska on completely positive continuous Schur multipliers.

Let G be a locally compact unimodular group, and let $\phi $ be some function of n variables on G. To such a $\phi $, one can associate a multilinear Fourier multiplier, which acts on some n-fold product of the noncommutative $L_p$-spaces of the group von Neumann algebra. One may also define an associated Schur multiplier, which acts on an n-fold product of Schatten classes $S_p(L_2(G))$. We generalize well-known transference results from the linear case to the multilinear case. In particular, we show that the so-called “multiplicatively bounded $(p_1,\ldots ,p_n)$-norm” of a multilinear Schur multiplier is bounded above by the corresponding multiplicatively bounded norm of the Fourier multiplier, with equality whenever the group is amenable. Furthermore, we prove that the bilinear Hilbert transform is not bounded as a vector-valued map $L_{p_1}(\mathbb {R}, S_{p_1}) \times L_{p_2}(\mathbb {R}, S_{p_2}) \rightarrow L_{1}(\mathbb {R}, S_{1})$, whenever $p_1$ and $p_2$ are such that $\frac {1}{p_1} + \frac {1}{p_2} = 1$. A similar result holds for certain Calderón–Zygmund-type operators. This is in contrast to the nonvector-valued Euclidean case.

The notion of positive-definite functions over locally compact quantum groups was recently introduced and studied by Daws and Salmi. Based on this work, we generalize various well-known results about positive-definite functions over groups to the quantum framework. Among these are theorems on “square roots” of positive-definite functions, comparison of various topologies, positive-definite measures and characterizations of amenability, and the separation property with respect to compact quantum subgroups.

In the 1970s, Feldman and Moore classified separably acting von Neumann algebras containing Cartan maximal abelian self-adjoint subalgebras (MASAs) using measured equivalence relations and 2-cocycles on such equivalence relations. In this paper we give a new classification in terms of extensions of inverse semigroups. Our approach is more algebraic in character and less point-based than that of Feldman and Moore. As an application, we give a restatement of the spectral theorem for bimodules in terms of subsets of inverse semigroups. We also show how our viewpoint leads naturally to a description of maximal subdiagonal algebras.

A locally compact group G is compact if and only if its convolution algebras contain non-zero (weakly) completely continuous elements. Dually, G is discrete if its function algebras contain non-zero completely continuous elements. We prove non-commutative versions of these results in the case of locally compact quantum groups.

We give a proof of the Khintchine inequalities in non-commutative $L_{p}$-spaces for all $0<p<1$. These new inequalities are valid for the Rademacher functions or Gaussian random variables, but also for more general sequences, for example, for the analogues of such random variables in free probability. We also prove a factorization for operators from a Hilbert space to a non-commutative $L_{p}$-space, which is new for $0<p<1$. We end by showing that Mazur maps are Hölder on semifinite von Neumann algebras.

We prove that, under certain conditions, uniform weak mixing (to zero) of the bounded sequences in Banach space implies uniform weak mixing of their tensor product. Moreover, we prove that ergodicity of tensor product of the sequences in Banach space implies their weak mixing. As applications of the results obtained, we prove that the tensor product of uniquely E-weak mixing C*-dynamical systems is also uniquely E-weak mixing.

We show that the multiplier algebra of the Fourier algebra on a locally compact group $G$ can be isometrically represented on a direct sum on non-commutative ${{L}^{p}}$ spaces associated with the right von Neumann algebra of $G$. The resulting image is the idealiser of the image of the Fourier algebra. If these spaces are given their canonical operator space structure, then we get a completely isometric representation of the completely bounded multiplier algebra. We make a careful study of the noncommutative ${{L}^{p}}$ spaces we construct and show that they are completely isometric to those considered recently by Forrest, Lee, and Samei. We improve a result of theirs about module homomorphisms. We suggest a definition of a Figa-Talamanca–Herz algebra built out of these non-commutative ${{L}^{p}}$ spaces, say ${{A}_{p}}(\hat{G})$. It is shown that ${{A}_{2}}(\hat{G})$ is isometric to ${{L}^{1}}(G)$, generalising the abelian situation.

We present a new and simple approach to the theory of multiple operator integrals that applies to unbounded operators affiliated with general von Neumann algebras. For semifinite von Neumann algebras we give applications to the Fréchet differentiation of operator functions that sharpen existing results, and establish the Birman–Solomyak representation of the spectral shift function of M.G. Krein in terms of an average of spectral measures in the type II setting. We also exhibit a surprising connection between the spectral shift function and spectral flow.

We provide an analogue of Gundy's decomposition for $L_1$-bounded non-commutative martingales. An important difference from the classical case is that for any $L_1$-bounded non-commutative martingale, the decomposition consists of four martingales. This is strongly related with the row/column nature of non-commutative Hardy spaces of martingales. As applications, we obtain simpler proofs of the weak type $(1,1)$ boundedness for non-commutative martingale transforms and the non-commutative analogue of Burkholder's weak type inequality for square functions. A sequence $(x_n)_{n \ge 1}$ in a normed space $\mathrm{X}$ is called 2-co-lacunary if there exists a bounded linear map from the closed linear span of $(x_n)_{n \ge 1}$ to $l_2$ taking each $x_n$ to the $n$th vector basis of $l_2$. We prove (using our decomposition) that any relatively weakly compact martingale difference sequence in $L_1 (\mathcal{M}, \tau)$ whose sequence of norms is bounded away from zero is 2-co-lacunary, generalizing a result of Aldous and Fremlin to non-commutative $L_1$-spaces.

Let $\mathcal{M}$ be a type $\text{I}{{\text{I}}_{1}}$ von Neumann algebra, $\tau$ a trace in $\mathcal{M}$, and ${{L}^{2}}\left( \mathcal{M},\tau \right)$ the GNS Hilbert space of $\tau$. We regard the unitary group ${{U}_{\mathcal{M}}}$ as a subset of ${{L}^{2}}\left( \mathcal{M},\tau \right)$ and characterize the shortest smooth curves joining two fixed unitaries in the ${{L}^{2}}$ metric. As a consequence of this we obtain that ${{U}_{\mathcal{M}}}$, though a complete (metric) topological group, is not an embedded riemannian submanifold of ${{L}^{2}}\left( \mathcal{M},\tau \right)$

We prove a weak-type (1,1) inequality for square functions of non-commutative martingales that are simultaneously bounded in $L^2$ and $L^1$. More precisely, the following non-commutative analogue of a classical result of Burkholder holds: there exists an absolute constant $K > 0$ such that if $\mathcal{M}$ is a semi-finite von Neumann algebra and $( \mathcal{M}_n )^{ \infty }_{n = 1}$ is an increasing filtration of von Neumann subalgebras of $\mathcal{M}$ then for any given martingale $x = ( x_n )^{\infty}_{n = 1}$ that is bounded in $L^2 ( \mathcal{M} ) \cap L^1 ( \mathcal{M} )$, adapted to $( \mathcal{M}_n )^{\infty}_{n = 1}$, there exist two martingale difference sequences, $a = ( a_n )_{n = 1}^\infty$ and $b = ( b_n )_{n = 1}^\infty$, with $dx_n = a_n + b_n$ for every $n \geq 1$,

\| ( \sum^\infty_{n = 1} a_n^* a_n )^{1/2} \|_{2} + \| ( \sum^\infty_{n = 1} b_n b_n^* )^{1/2} \|_{2} \leq 2 \| x \|_2,

and

\| ( \sum^\infty_{n = 1} a_n^* a_n )^{1/2} \|_{1, \infty} + \| ( \sum^\infty_{n = 1} b_n b_n^* )^{1/2} \|_{1, \infty} \leq K \| x \|_1.

As an application, we obtain the optimal orders of growth for the constants involved in the Pisier–Xu non-commutative analogue of the classical Burkholder–Gundy inequalities.

The optimal orders are determined for the best constants in the non-commutative Burkholder–Gundy, Doob and Stein inequalities obtained recently in non-commutative martingale theory.

Let ℳ be a semi-finite von Neumann algebra equipped with a faithful normal trace τ. We prove a Kadec-Pelczyński type dichotomy principle for subspaces of symmetric space of measurable operators of Rademacher type 2. We study subspace structures of non-commutative Lorentz spaces Lp, q, (ℳ, τ), extending some results of Carothers and Dilworth to the non-commutative settings. In particular, we show that, under natural conditions on indices, ℓp cannot be embedded into Lp, q (ℳ, τ). As applications, we prove that for 0 < p < ∞ with p ≠ 2, ℓp cannot be strongly embedded into Lp(ℳ, τ). This provides a non-commutative extension of a result of Kalton for 0 < p < 1 and a result of Rosenthal for 1 ≦ p < 2 on Lp [0, 1].