J-P Antoine

Algebras of bounded operators are familiar, either as C*-algebras or as von Neumann algebras. A first generalization is the notion of algebras of unbounded operators (O*-algebras), mostly developed by the Leipzig school and in Japan (for a review, we refer to the monographs of K. Schmüdgen [1990] and A. Inoue [1998]). This volume goes one step further, by considering systematically partial *-algebras of unbounded operators (partial O*-algebras) and the underlying algebraic structure, namely, partial *-algebras. It is the first textbook on this topic. The first part is devoted to partial O*-algebras, basic properties, examples, topologies on them. The climax is the generalization to this new framework of the celebrated modular theory of Tomita-Takesaki, one of the cornerstones for the applications to statistical physics. The second part focuses on abstract partial *-algebras and their representation theory, obtaining again generalizations of familiar theorems (Radon-Nikodym, Lebesgue).

Partial Inner Product (PIP) Spaces are ubiquitous, e.g. Rigged Hilbert spaces, chains of Hilbert or Banach spaces (such as the Lebesgue spaces Lp over the real line), etc. In fact, most functional spaces used in (quantum) physics and in signal processing are of this type. The book contains a systematic analysis of PIP spaces and operators defined on them. Numerous examples are described in detail and a large bibliography is provided. Finally, the last chapters cover the many applications of PIP spaces in physics and in signal/image processing, respectively. As such, the book will be useful both for researchers in mathematics and practitioners of these disciplines.

Algebras of bounded operators are familiar, either as C*-algebras or as von Neumann algebras. A first generalization is the notion of algebras of unbounded operators (O*-algebras), mostly developed by the Leipzig school and in Japan (for a review, we refer to the monographs of K. Schmüdgen [1990] and A. Inoue [1998]). This volume goes one step further, by considering systematically partial *-algebras of unbounded operators (partial O*-algebras) and the underlying algebraic structure, namely, partial *-algebras. It is the first textbook on this topic. The first part is devoted to partial O*-algebras, basic properties, examples, topologies on them. The climax is the generalization to this new framework of the celebrated modular theory of Tomita-Takesaki, one of the cornerstones for the applications to statistical physics. The second part focuses on abstract partial *-algebras and their representation theory, obtaining again generalizations of familiar theorems (Radon-Nikodym, Lebesgue).