The Representation of Baire Functions

Citation

Talmadge, Richard Bennett (1951) The Representation of Baire Functions. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/7K44-T556. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:10062017-095007634

Abstract

Gelfand [1]¹ has shown that a real Banach algebra in which for every element we have ||x²|| = ||x||², is isomorphic and isometric to the ring continuous functions on some compact Hausdorff space. Since he was concerned with an abstract Banach algebra, his representation for this space is necessarily quite complicated; indeed, it is in terms of a space of maximal ideals of the Banach algebra. One would expect, then, that for a particular Banach algebra a simpler characterization of this space would be obtained. It is the purpose of this paper to find such a simpler representation for the collection of Baire functions of class a, for each a ≥, over a topological space S. These collections satisfy the conditions of Gelfand's theorem. Our representation, which is done in terms of lattice, instead of ring, operations, will give the space as a Boolean space associated with a Boolean algebra of subsets of the original space S.

The paper is divided into two parts. In part I, we define the Baire functions of class a and obtain some results connecting them and the Boolean algebra. Part II is concerned with the representation theorem, some of its consequences, and examples to show that the theory is non-vacuous.

1. References to the literature are indicated by numbers in square brackets.

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