We introduce Poisson boundaries of II$_1$ factors with respect to density operators that give the traces. The Poisson boundary is a von Neumann algebra that contains the II$_1$ factor and is a particular example of the boundary of a unital completely positive map as introduced by Izumi. Studying the inclusion of the II$_1$ factor into its boundary, we develop a number of notions, such as double ergodicity and entropy, that can be seen as natural analogues of results regarding the Poisson boundaries introduced by Furstenberg. We use the techniques developed to answer a problem of Popa by showing that all finite factors satisfy his MV property. We also extend a result of Nevo by showing that property (T) factors give rise to an entropy gap.

Our first result is a noncommutative form of the Jessen-Marcinkiewicz-Zygmund theorem for the maximal limit of multiparametric martingales or ergodic means. It implies bilateral almost uniform convergence (a noncommutative analogue of almost everywhere convergence) with initial data in the expected Orlicz spaces. A key ingredient is the introduction of the $L_p$ -norm of the $\limsup $ of a sequence of operators as a localized version of a $\ell _\infty /c_0$ -valued $L_p$ -space. In particular, our main result gives a strong $L_1$ -estimate for the $\limsup $ —as opposed to the usual weak $L_{1,\infty }$ -estimate for the $\mathop {\mathrm {sup}}\limits $ —with interesting consequences for the free group algebra.

Let $\mathcal{L} \mathbf{F} _2$ denote the free group algebra with $2$ generators, and consider the free Poisson semigroup generated by the usual length function. It is an open problem to determine the largest class inside $L_1(\mathcal{L} \mathbf{F} _2)$ for which the free Poisson semigroup converges to the initial data. Currently, the best known result is $L \log ^2 L(\mathcal{L} \mathbf{F} _2)$ . We improve this result by adding to it the operators in $L_1(\mathcal{L} \mathbf{F} _2)$ spanned by words without signs changes. Contrary to other related results in the literature, this set grows exponentially with length. The proof relies on our estimates for the noncommutative $\limsup $ together with new transference techniques.

We also establish a noncommutative form of Córdoba/Feffermann/Guzmán inequality for the strong maximal: more precisely, a weak $(\Phi ,\Phi )$ inequality—as opposed to weak $(\Phi ,1)$ —for noncommutative multiparametric martingales and $\Phi (s) = s (1 + \log _+ s)^{2 + \varepsilon }$ . This logarithmic power is an $\varepsilon $ -perturbation of the expected optimal one. The proof combines a refinement of Cuculescu’s construction with a quantum probabilistic interpretation of M. de Guzmán’s original argument. The commutative form of our argument gives the simplest known proof of this classical inequality. A few interesting consequences are derived for Cuculescu’s projections.

Bożejko and Speicher associated a finite von Neumann algebra MT to a self-adjoint operator T on a complex Hilbert space of the form $\mathcal {H}\otimes \mathcal {H}$ which satisfies the Yang–Baxter relation and $ \left\| T \right\| < 1$. We show that if dim$(\mathcal {H})$ ⩾ 2, then MT is a factor when T admits an eigenvector of some special form.

Let $M$ be a $\text{II}_{1}$ factor and let ${\mathcal{F}}(M)$ denote the fundamental group of $M$. In this article, we study the following property of $M$: for any $\text{II}_{1}$ factor $B$, we have ${\mathcal{F}}(M\,\overline{\otimes }\,B)={\mathcal{F}}(M){\mathcal{F}}(B)$. We prove that for any subgroup $G\leqslant \mathbb{R}_{+}^{\ast }$ which is realized as a fundamental group of a $\text{II}_{1}$ factor, there exists a $\text{II}_{1}$ factor $M$ which satisfies this property and whose fundamental group is $G$. Using this, we deduce that if $G,H\leqslant \mathbb{R}_{+}^{\ast }$ are realized as fundamental groups of $\text{II}_{1}$ factors, then so are groups $G\cdot H$ and $G\cap H$.

In 1981, Takeuti introduced quantum set theory by constructing a model of set theory based on quantum logic represented by the lattice of closed linear subspaces of a Hilbert space in a manner analogous to Boolean-valued models of set theory, and showed that appropriate counterparts of the axioms of Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory with the axiom of choice (ZFC) hold in the model. In this paper, we aim at unifying Takeuti’s model with Boolean-valued models by constructing models based on general complete orthomodular lattices, and generalizing the transfer principle in Boolean-valued models, which asserts that every theorem in ZFC set theory holds in the models, to a general form holding in every orthomodular-valued model. One of the central problems in this program is the well-known arbitrariness in choosing a binary operation for implication. To clarify what properties are required to obtain the generalized transfer principle, we introduce a class of binary operations extending the implication on Boolean logic, called generalized implications, including even nonpolynomially definable operations. We study the properties of those operations in detail and show that all of them admit the generalized transfer principle. Moreover, we determine all the polynomially definable operations for which the generalized transfer principle holds. This result allows us to abandon the Sasaki arrow originally assumed for Takeuti’s model and leads to a much more flexible approach to quantum set theory.

Cloneable sets of states in C*-algebras are characterized in terms of strong orthogonality of states. Moreover, the relation between strong cloning and distinguishability of states is investigated together with some additional properties of strong cloning in abelian C*-algebras.

In this paper, we study uniform perturbations of von Neumann subalgebras of a von Neumann algebra. Let $M$ and $N$ be von Neumann subalgebras of a von Neumann algebra with finite probabilistic index in the sense of Pimsner and Popa. If $M$ and $N$ are sufficiently close, then $M$ and $N$ are unitarily equivalent. The implementing unitary can be chosen as being close to the identity.

Let ${\mathcal{A}}$ be a unital ring with involution. Assume that ${\mathcal{A}}$ contains a nontrivial symmetric idempotent and ${\it\phi}:{\mathcal{A}}\rightarrow {\mathcal{A}}$ is a nonlinear surjective map. We prove that if ${\it\phi}$ preserves strong skew commutativity, then ${\it\phi}(A)=ZA+f(A)$ for all $A\in {\mathcal{A}}$, where $Z\in {\mathcal{Z}}_{s}({\mathcal{A}})$ satisfies $Z^{2}=I$ and $f$ is a map from ${\mathcal{A}}$ into ${\mathcal{Z}}_{s}({\mathcal{A}})$. Related results concerning nonlinear strong skew commutativity preserving maps on von Neumann algebras are given.

In the finite von Neumann algebra setting, we introduce the concept of a perturbation determinant associated with a pair of self-adjoint elements ${{H}_{0}}$ and $H$ in the algebra and relate it to the concept of the de la Harpe–Skandalis homotopy invariant determinant associated with piecewise ${{C}^{1}}$-paths of operators joining ${{H}_{0}}$ and $H$. We obtain an analog of Krein's formula that relates the perturbation determinant and the spectral shift function and, based on this relation, we derive subsequently (i) the Birman–Solomyak formula for a general non-linear perturbation, (ii) a universality of a spectral averaging, and (iii) a generalization of the Dixmier–Fuglede–Kadison differentiation formula.

We prove a weak form of the mean ergodic theorem for actions of amenable locally compact quantum groups in the von Neumann algebra setting.

This paper is concerned with the structure of inner ${{E}_{0}}$-semigroups. We show that any inner ${{E}_{0}}$-semigroup acting on an infinite factor $M$ is completely determined by a continuous tensor product system of Hilbert spaces in $M$ and that the product system associated with an inner ${{E}_{0}}$-semigroup is a complete cocycle conjugacy invariant.

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.

To any groupoid, equipped with a Haar system, Jean-Michel Vallin had associated several objects (pseudo-multiplicative unitary, Hopf-bimodule) in order to generalize, up to the groupoid case, the classical notions of multiplicative unitary and Hopf–von Neumann algebra, which were intensely used to construct quantum groups in the operator algebra setting. In two former articles (one in collaboration with Jean-Michel Vallin), starting from a depth-2 inclusion of von Neumann algebras, we have constructed such objects, which allowed us to study two ‘quantum groupoids’ dual to each other. We are now investigating in greater details the notion of pseudo-multiplicative unitary, following the general strategy developed by Baaj and Skandalis for multiplicative unitaries.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 46L89; 22A22; 81R50

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].

Given a holomorphic Hilbertian bundle on a compact complex manifold, we introduce the notion of holomorphic ${{L}^{2}}$ torsion, which lies in the determinant line of the twisted ${{L}^{2}}$ Dolbeault cohomology and represents a volume element there. Here we utilise the theory of determinant lines of Hilbertian modules over finite von Neumann algebras as developed in $[\text{CFM}]$. This specialises to the Ray-Singer-Quillen holomorphic torsion in the finite dimensional case. We compute a metric variation formula for the holomorphic ${{L}^{2}}$ torsion, which shows that it is not in general independent of the choice of Hermitian metrics on the complex manifold and on the holomorphic Hilbertian bundle, which are needed to define it. We therefore initiate the theory of correspondences of determinant lines, that enables us to define a relative holomorphic ${{L}^{2}}$ torsion for a pair of flat Hilbertian bundles, which we prove is independent of the choice of Hermitian metrics on the complex manifold and on the flat Hilbertian bundles.

If is a von Neumann algebra that thas no nonzero finite discrete central projection, then there is no nontrivial compact derivation of into itself.