Proceedings Of The Conference On Banach Algebras And Several Complex Variables

Contains papers presented at the conference on Banach Algebras and Several Complex Variables held June 21-24, 1983, to honor Professor Charles E Rickart upon his retirement from Yale University. This work includes articles that present advances in topics related to Banach algebras, function algebras and infinite dimensional holomorphy.

A development of some of the principal applications of function theory in several complex variables to Banach algebras. The authors do not presuppose any knowledge of several complex variables on the part of the reader, and all relevant material is developed within the text. Furthermore, the book deals with problems of uniform approximation on compact subsets of the space of n complex variables. This third edition contains new material on maximum modulus algebras and subharmonicity, the hull of a smooth curve, integral kernels, perturbations of the Stone-Weierstrass Theorem, boundaries of analytic varieties, polynomial hulls of sets over the circle, areas, and the topology of hulls. The authors have also included a new chapter commenting on history and recent developments, as well as an updated and expanded reading list.

During the past twenty years many connections have been found between the theory of analytic functions of one or more complex variables and the study of commutative Banach algebras. On the one hand, function theory has been used to answer algebraic questions such as the question of the existence of idempotents in a Banach algebra. On the other hand, concepts arising from the study of Banach algebras such as the maximal ideal space, the Silov boundary, Gleason parts, etc. have led to new questions and to new methods of proof in function theory. Roughly one third of this book isconcerned with developing some of the principal applications of function theory in several complex variables to Banach algebras. We presuppose no knowledge of severalcomplex variables on the part of the reader but develop the necessary material from scratch. The remainder of the book deals with problems of uniform approximation on compact subsets of the space of n complex variables. For n > I no complete theory exists but many important particular problems have been solved. Throughout, our aim has been to make the exposition elementary and self-contained. We have cheerfully sacrificed generality and completeness all along the way in order to make it easier to understand the main ideas.

This volume contains the articles contributed to the Minnesota Con ference on Complex Analysis (COCA). The Conference was held March 16-21, 1964, at the University of Minnesota, under the sponsorship of the U. S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research with thirty-one invited participants attending. Of these, nineteen presented their papers in person in the form of one-hour lectures. In addition, this volume con tains papers contributed by other attending participants as well as by participants who, after having planned to attend, were unable to do so. The list of particip ants, as well as the contributions to these Proceed ings, clearly do not represent a complete coverage of the activities in all fields of complex analysis. It is hoped, however, that these limitations stemming from the partly deliberate selections will allow a fairly com prehensive account of the current research in some of those areas of complex analysis that, in the editors' belief, have rapidly developed during the past decade and may remain as active in the foreseeable future as they are at the present time. In conclusion, the editors wish to thank, first of all, the participants and contributors to these Proceedings for their enthusiastic cooperation and encouragement. Our thanks are due also to the University of Min nesota, for offering the physical facilities for the Conference, and to Springer-Verlag for publishing these proceedings.

Banach algebras is a multilayered area in mathematics with many ramifications. With a diverse coverage of different schools working on the subject, this proceedings volume reflects recent achievements in areas such as Banach algebras over groups, abstract harmonic analysis, group actions, amenability, topological homology, Arens irregularity, C*-algebras and dynamical systems, operator theory, operator spaces, and locally compact quantum groups.

The series is aimed specifically at publishing peer reviewed reviews and contributions presented at workshops and conferences. Each volume is associated with a particular conference, symposium or workshop. These events cover various topics within pure and applied mathematics and provide up-to-date coverage of new developments, methods and applications.