C*-Algebras [electronic resource] / edited by Jacques Dixmier.

Almost four-fifths of this book deals with the study of C*-algebras, and the main results due, among others, to Fell, Glimm, Kadison, Kaplansky, Mackey and Segal are expounded. Because of the amount of material accumulated on unitary representations of groups, the latter pages of the book are devoted to a brief account of some aspects of this subject, particularly since the theory of groups provides some of the most interesting examples of C*-algebras. The theory of C*-algebras is still expanding rapidly, but this work remains a clear and accessible introduction to the fundamentals of the subject.

Normed involutive algebras -- Positive forms and representations -- Spectrum of a C*-algebra -- Liminal C*-Algebras -- Type of a representation -- Traces and representations -- Quasi-spectrum -- Integration and distintegration of representations -- C*-algebras of Type I -- Continuous fields of C*-Algebras -- Extension to C*-Algebras of Stone-Weierstrass theorem -- Enveloping Von Neumann algebra of a C*-Algebra -- Unitary representations of locally compact groups -- Square-integrable irreducible representations -- Representations of compact groups -- Almost-periodic functions -- Characters of a locally compact group -- Dual of a locally compact group.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Description based on print version record.