We give an explicit construction of a continuous trace C*algebra with prescribed Dixmier-Douady class, and with only finite-dimensional irreducible representations. These algebras often have non-trivial automorphisms, and we show how a recent description of the outer automorphism group of a stable continuous trace C*algebra follows easily from our main result. Since our motivation came from work on a new notion of central separable algebras, we explore the connections between this purely algebraic subject and C*a1gebras.

By a theorem of Fell and Tomiyama-Takesaki, an N-homogeneous C*-algebra with spectrum X has the form Γ(E) for some bundle E over X with fibre MN(C), and its isomorphism class is determined by that of E and its pull-backs f*E along homeomorphisms f of X. We describe the homogeneous C*-algebras with spectrum T2 or T3 by classifying the MN-bundles over Tk using elementary homotopy theory. We then use our results to determine the isomorphism classes of a variety of transformation group C*-algebras, twisted group C*-algebras and more general crossed products.

Let G be a second countable locally compact group possessing a normal subgroup N with G/N abelian. We prove that if G/N is discrete then G has T1 primitive ideal space if and only if the G-quasiorbits in Prim N are closed. This condition on G-quasiorbits arose in Pukanzky's work on connected and simply connected solvable Lie groups where it is equivalent to the condition of Auslander and Moore that G be type R on N (-nilradical). Using an abstract version of Pukanzky's arguments due to Green and Pedersen we establish that if G is a connected and simply connected Lie group then Prim G is T1 whenever G-quasiorbits in [G, G] are closed.

A joint spectral theorem for an n-tuple of doubly commuting unbounded normal operators in a Hilbert space is proved by using the techniques of GB*-algebras.

Let Ω be the weakly pseudoconvex domain

and let ∂Ω be its boundary. If ϕ ∈ L∞ (∂Ω), we denote by Tϕ, the Toephtz operator with symbol ϕ acting on the Hardy space H2(∂Ω), and by J(∂Ω) the C*-subalgebra of B(H2(∂Ω)) generated by the Toeplitz operators with continuous symbol. Our main theorem asserts that J(∂Ω) contains the ideal K of all compact operators on H2(∂Ω), and that the symbol map ϕ→Tϕ induces an isomorphism of C(∂Ω) onto the quotient C*-algebra ℑ(∂Ω)/K. Similar results have been established before for other domains, and in particular when Ω is strongly pseudoconvex. The main interest of our results lies in their proofs: ours are elementary, whereas those used in the strongly pseudoconvex case depend heavily on the theory of the tangential Cauchy-Riemann operator.

Let υ be a C*-algebra, α a *-anti-automorphism of order 2, and υα(±1) = {A; A ∈ υ, α(A) = ± A} the spectral subspaces of α. It follows that υα(+ 1) is a Jordan algebra and υα(− 1) is a Lie algebra. We begin the classification of pairs of Jordan and Lie algebras which can occur in this manner by examining υ = ℒ(ℋ), the algebra of bounded operators on a Hilbert space ℋ.