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This thesis consists of two parts, both of which involve the study of algebraic structures constructed via the multiplication of modules. In the first part we look at Hall algebras. We consider the Hall algebra of a cyclic quiver algebra with relations of length two and present a multiplication formula for the explicit calculation of products in this algebra. We then look at the case of a cyclic quiver with two vertices and describe the corresponding composition algebra as a quotient of the positive part of a quantised enveloping algebra of type Ã₁ We then look at quotients of Hall algebras of self-injective algebras. We give an abstract result describing the quotient of such a Hall algebra by the ideal generated by isomorphism classes of projective modules, and also a more explicit result describing quotients of Hall algebras of group algebras for cyclic 2-groups and some related polynomial algebras. The second part of the thesis deals with Green rings. We compare the Green rings of a group algebra and the corresponding Jennings algebra for certain p-groups. It is shown that these two Green rings are isomorphic in the case of a cyclic p-group. In the case of the Klein four group it is shown that the two Green rings are not isomorphic, but that there exist quotients of these rings which are isomorphic. It is conjectured that the corresponding quotients will also be isomorphic in the case of a dihedral 2-group. The properties of these quotients are studied, with the aim of producing evidence to support this conjecture. The work on Green rings also includes some results on the realisation of quotients of Green rings as group rings over ℤ.

A well-known theorem of Blackadar and Handelman states that every unital stably finite C*-algebra has a bounded quasitrace. Rather strong generalizations of stable finiteness to the non-unital case can be obtained by either requiring the multiplier algebra to be stably finite, or alternatively requiring it to be at least stably not properly infinite. My thesis deals with the question whether the Blackadar-Handelman result can be extended to the non-unital case with respect to these generalizations of stable finiteness. For suitably well-behaved C*-algebras there is a positive result, but none of the non-unital versions holds in full generality. Two examples of C*-algebras are constructed. The first one is a non-unital, stably commutative C*-algebra A that contradicts the weakest possible generalization of the Blackadar-Handelman theorem: The multiplier algebras of all matrix algebras over A are finite, while A has no bounded quasitrace. The second example is a non-unital, simple C*-algebra B that is stably non-stable, i.e. no matrix algebra over B is a stable C*-algebra. In fact, the multiplier algebras over all matrix algebras of this C*-algebra are not properly infinite. Moreover, the C*-algebra B has no bounded quasitrace and therefore gives a simple counterexample to a possible generalization of the Blackadar-Handelman theorem.

A well-known theorem of Blackadar and Handelman states that every unital stably finite C*-algebra has a bounded quasitrace. Rather strong generalizations of stable finiteness to the non-unital case can be obtained by either requiring the multiplier algebra to be stably finite, or alternatively requiring it to be at least stably not properly infinite. My thesis deals with the question whether the Blackadar-Handelman result can be extended to the non-unital case with respect to these generalizations of stable finiteness. For suitably well-behaved C*-algebras there is a positive result, but none of the non-unital versions holds in full generality. Two examples of C*-algebras are constructed. The first one is a non-unital, stably commutative C*-algebra A that contradicts the weakest possible generalization of the Blackadar-Handelman theorem: The multiplier algebras of all matrix algebras over A are finite, while A has no bounded quasitrace. The second example is a non-unital, simple C*-algebra B that is stably non-stable, i.e. no matrix algebra over B is a stable C*-algebra. In fact, the multiplier algebras over all matrix algebras of this C*-algebra are not properly infinite. Moreover, the C*-algebra B has no bounded quasitrace and therefore gives a simple counterexample to a possible generalization of the Blackadar-Handelman theorem.

The goal of this thesis is to examine the actions of finite symmetry groups on aperiodic tilings. To an aperiodic tiling with finite local complexity arising from a primitive substitution rule one can associate a metric space, transformation groupoids, and C*-algebras. Finite symmetry groups of the tiling act on each of these objects and we investigate appropriate constructions on each, namely the orbit space, semidirect product groupoids, and crossed product C*-algebras respectively. Of particular interest are the crossed product C*-algebras; we derive important structure results about them and compute their K-theory.

The following thesis is divided into two main chapters. In Chapter 2 we study isometric representations of product systems of correspondences over the semigroup 𝐍ᵏ which are minimal dilations of finite dimensional, fully coisometric representations. We show the existence of a unique minimal cyclic coinvariant subspace for all such representations. The compression of the representation to this subspace is shown to be a complete unitary invariant. For a certain class of graph algebras the nonself-adjoint WOT-closed algebra generated by these representations is shown to contain the projection onto the minimal cyclic coinvariant subspace. This class includes free semigroup algebras. This result extends to a class of higher-rank graph algebras which includes higher-rank graphs with a single vertex. In chapter 3 we move onto semicrossed product algebras. Let 𝒮 be the semigroup 𝒮=Σ𝒮ᵢ, where 𝒮ᵢ is a countable subsemigroup of the additive semigroup 𝐑₊ containing 0. We consider representations of 𝒮 as contractions {Tᵣ }ᵣ on a Hilbert space with the Nica-covariance property: Tᵣ*Tᵤ=TᵤTᵣ* whenever t^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 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).

The following thesis is divided into two main parts. In the first part we study the problem of characterizing algebras of functions living on analytic varieties. Specifically, we consider the restrictions M_V of the multiplier algebra M of Drury-Arveson space to a holomorphic subvariety V of the unit ball as well as the algebras A_V of continuous multipliers under the same restriction. We find that M_V is completely isometrically isomorphic to cM_W if and only if W is the image of V under a biholomorphic automorphism of the ball. In this case, the isomorphism is unitarily implemented. Furthermore, when V and W are homogeneous varieties then A_V is isometrically isomorphic to A_W if and only if the defining polynomial relations are the same up to a change of variables. The problem of characterizing when two such algebras are (algebraically) isomorphic is also studied. In the continuous homogeneous case, two algebras are isomorphic if and only if they are similar. However, in the multiplier algebra case the problem is much harder and several examples will be given where no such characterization is possible. In the second part we study the triangular subalgebras of UHF algebras which provide new examples of algebras with the Dirichlet property and the Ando property. This in turn allows us to describe the semicrossed product by an isometric automorphism. We also study the isometric automorphism group of these algebras and prove that it decomposes into the semidirect product of an abelian group by a torsion free group. Various other structure results are proven as well.

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Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 159-164). / Electronic reproduction. / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / x, 164 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm