Michalis Anoussis

We introduce an operator system, universal for the probabilistic models of a contextuality scenario, and identify its maximal C∗-cover via the right C∗-algebra of a canonical ternary ring of operators, arising from a hypergraph version of stochastic operator matrices. We study dilating contextuality scenarios, which have the property that each positive operator representation thereof admits a dilation to a projective representation on a larger Hilbert space, and characterise them via the equality of the aforementioned universal operator system and the operator system arising from the canonical generators of the respective hypergraph C∗-algebra. We characterise the no-signalling probabilistic models over a pair of contextuality scenarios of different types, which arise from either the positive operator representations or from the projective representations of these scenarios, in terms of states on operator system tensor products. Generalising the notion of a synchronous no-signalling correlation to the hypergraph framework, we define coherent probabilistic models associated with a given contextuality scenario and characterise various classes thereof via different types of traces of the hypergraph C∗-algebra, associated with the scenario. We establish several equivalent formulations of the Connes Embedding Problem in terms of no-signalling probabilistic models and hypergraph operator systems.

We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of idempotents of arbitrarily large norms in the Fourier algebra A(G) and the Fourier-Stieltjes algebra B(G) of a locally compact group G. We prove that the existence of idempotents of arbitrarily large norm in B(G) implies the existence of homomorphisms of arbitrarily large norm from A(H) into B(G) for every locally compact group H. A partial converse is also obtained: the existence of homomorphisms of arbitrarily large norm from A(H) into B(G) for some amenable locally compact group H implies the existence of idempotents of arbitrarily large norm in B(G).

We prove estimates for the cardinality of set-theoretic ultrapowers in terms of the cardinality of almost disjoint families. Such results are then applied to obtain estimates for the density of ultrapowers of Banach spaces. We focus on the change of the behavior of the corresponding ultrapower when certain ‘‘completeness thresholds’’ of the relevant ultrafilter are crossed. Finally, we also provide an alternative characterization of measurable cardinals.

We examine the questions of when and how the norm of a vector functional on an operator algebra can be controlled by the invariant subspace lattice of the algebra. We introduce a related operator algebraic property and show that it is satisfied by all von Neumann algebras and by all CSL algebras. We exhibit examples of operator algebras that do not satisfy the property or any scaled version of it.