Provided that the weight function ω satisfies certain submultiplicative and decay conditions, the discrete convolution algebra ℓ1(ω) becomes a commutative radical Banach algebra with identity adjoined. There are obvious closed ideals in ℓ1(ω) and these are denoted standard ideals. Earlier results of Thomas, strengthened by Yakubovich and Domar, showed that if the weight ω is star-shaped then all closed ideals are standard. Consequently, the closed ideal generated by any element f in ℓ1(ω) must be standard.
The requirement that ω be star-shaped (essentially that ω(n)1/n must decrease to zero) is somewhat restrictive in that no local maxima of ω(n)1/n are allowed. We generalize this previous result to apply to the larger class of ε-star shaped weights (0 < ε ≤ 1) which allow such local maxima. If f is a non-zero element on ℓ1(ω) we let the integer α(f) = k0 denote the index of its first non-zero term. We introduce the concept of an ε-peak point for k0. If ε = 1 then ω is star-shaped in the usual sense and there are an infinite number of 1-peak points for any k0. Although this latter fact may fail if 0 < ε < 1, if ω(n)1/n tends to zero sufficiently quickly (dependent on k0 and ε) there will always be an infinite number of ε-peak points for k0.
Our main result is that if ω is an ε-star shaped weight, if f is an non-zero element of ℓ1(ω), if α(f) = k0, and if the number of ε-peak points for k0 is infinite, then the closed ideal generated by f is standard.