We characterize the ideals of the semicrossed product $C_0(X)\times _\phi {\mathbb Z}_+$, associated with suitable sequences of closed subsets of X, with left (resp. right) approximate unit. As a consequence, we obtain a complete characterization of ideals with left (resp. right) approximate unit under the assumptions that X is metrizable and the dynamical system $(X,\phi )$ contains no periodic points.

Given a Fell bundle $\mathscr C\overset {q}{\to }\Xi $ over the discrete groupoid $\Xi $, we study the symmetry of the associated Hahn algebra $\ell ^{\infty ,1}(\Xi \!\mid \!\mathscr C)$ in terms of the isotropy subgroups of $\Xi $. We prove that $\Xi $ is symmetric (respectively hypersymmetric) if and only if all of the isotropy subgroups are symmetric (respectively hypersymmetric). We also characterise hypersymmetry using Fell bundles with constant fibres, showing that for discrete groupoids, ‘hypersymmetry’ equals ‘rigid symmetry’.

We resolve the isomorphism problem for tensor algebras of unital multivariable dynamical systems. Specifically, we show that unitary equivalence after a conjugation for multivariable dynamical systems is a complete invariant for complete isometric isomorphisms between their tensor algebras. In particular, this settles a conjecture of Davidson and Kakariadis, Inter. Math. Res. Not. 2014 (2014), 1289–1311 relating to work of Arveson, Acta Math. 118 (1967), 95–109 from the 1960s, and extends related work of Kakariadis and Katsoulis, J. Noncommut. Geom. 8 (2014), 771–787.

We show that every isometric action on a Cantor set is conjugate to an inverse limit of actions on finite sets; and that every faithful isometric action by a finitely generated amenable group is residually finite.

We establish several new characterizations of amenable $W^*$ - and $C^*$ -dynamical systems over arbitrary locally compact groups. In the $W^*$ -setting we show that amenability is equivalent to (1) a Reiter property and (2) the existence of a certain net of completely positive Herz–Schur multipliers of $(M,G,\alpha )$ converging point weak* to the identity of $G\bar {\ltimes }M$ . In the $C^*$ -setting, we prove that amenability of $(A,G,\alpha )$ is equivalent to an analogous Herz–Schur multiplier approximation of the identity of the reduced crossed product $G\ltimes A$ , as well as a particular case of the positive weak approximation property of Bédos and Conti [On discrete twisted $C^*$ -dynamical systems, Hilbert $C^*$ -modules and regularity. Münster J. Math.5 (2012), 183–208] (generalized to the locally compact setting). When $Z(A^{**})=Z(A)^{**}$ , it follows that amenability is equivalent to the 1-positive approximation property of Exel and Ng [Approximation property of $C^*$ -algebraic bundles. Math. Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc.132(3) (2002), 509–522]. In particular, when $A=C_0(X)$ is commutative, amenability of $(C_0(X),G,\alpha )$ coincides with topological amenability of the G-space $(G,X)$ .

We provide a detailed study of actions of the integers on compact quantum metric spaces, which includes general criteria ensuring that the associated crossed product algebra is again a compact quantum metric space in a natural way. Moreover, we provide a flexible set of assumptions ensuring that a continuous family of $\ast$-automorphisms of a compact quantum metric space yields a field of crossed product algebras which varies continuously in Rieffel’s quantum Gromov–Hausdorff distance. Finally, we show how our results apply to continuous families of Lip-isometric actions on compact quantum metric spaces and to families of diffeomorphisms of compact Riemannian manifolds which vary continuously in the Whitney $C^{1}$-topology.

We study ${{\text{w}}^{*}}$-semicrossed products over actions of the free semigroup and the free abelian semigroup on (possibly non-selfadjoint) ${{\text{w}}^{*}}$-closed algebras. We show that they are reflexive when the dynamics are implemented by uniformly bounded families of invertible row operators. Combining with results of Helmer, we derive that ${{\text{w}}^{*}}$-semicrossed products of factors (on a separableHilbert space) are reflexive. Furthermore, we show that ${{\text{w}}^{*}}$-semicrossed products of automorphic actions on maximal abelian self adjoint algebras are reflexive. In all cases we prove that the ${{\text{w}}^{*}}$-semicrossed products have the bicommutant property if and only if the ambient algebra of the dynamics does also.

Let be a single vertex k-graph and let be the von Neumann algebra induced from the Gelfand–Naimark–Segal (GNS) representation of a distinguished state ω of its k-graph C*-algebra . In this paper we prove the factoriality of , and furthermore determine its type when either has the little pullback property, or the intrinsic group of has rank 0. The key step to achieving this is to show that the fixed-point algebra of the modular action corresponding to ω has a unique tracial state.

Let $\alpha :\,G\,\curvearrowright \,M$ be a spatial action of a countable abelian group on a “spatial” von Neumann algebra $M$ and let $S$ be its unital subsemigroup with $G\,=\,{{S}^{-1}}S$. We explicitly compute the essential commutant and the essential fixed-points, modulo the Schatten $p$-class or the compact operators, of the ${{w}^{*}}$-semicrossed product of $M$ by $S$ when ${{M}^{'}}$ contains no non-zero compact operators. We also prove a weaker result when $M$ is a von Neumann algebra on a finite dimensional Hilbert space and $\left( G,\,S \right)\,=\,\left( \mathbb{Z},\,{{\mathbb{Z}}_{+}} \right)$, which extends a famous result due to Davidson (1977) for the classical analytic Toeplitz operators.

We consider semicrossed products of the disk algebra with respect to endomorphisms defined by finite Blaschke products. We characterize the Jacobson radical of these operator algebras. Furthermore, in the case that the finite Blaschke product is elliptic, we show that the semicrossed product contains no nonzero quasinilpotent elements. However, if the finite Blaschke product is hyperbolic or parabolic with positive hyperbolic step, the Jacobson radical is nonzero and a proper subset of the set of quasinilpotent elements.

Let $S$ be the semigroup $S=\sum\nolimits_{i=1}^{\oplus k}{{{S}_{i}}}$, where for each $i\in I,{{S}_{i}}$ is a countable subsemigroup of the additive semigroup ${{\mathbb{R}}_{+}}$ containing 0. We consider representations of $S$ as contractions ${{\left\{ {{T}_{s}} \right\}}_{s\in S}}$ on a Hilbert space with the Nica-covariance property: $T_{s}^{*}{{T}_{t}}={{T}_{t}}T_{s}^{*}$ whenever $t\wedge s=0$. We show that all such representations have a unique minimal isometric Nica-covariant dilation.

This result is used to help analyse the nonself-adjoint semicrossed product algebras formed from Nica-covariant representations of the action of $S$ on an operator algebra $\mathcal{A}$ by completely contractive endomorphisms. We conclude by calculating the ${{C}^{*}}$-envelope of the isometric nonself-adjoint semicrossed product algebra (in the sense of Kakariadis and Katsoulis).