The algebra of thin measurable operators is directly finite

Abstract

Let $\mathcal{M}$ be a semifinite von Neumann algebra on a Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$ equipped with a faithful normal semifinite trace $\tau$, $S(\mathcal{M},\tau)$ be the ${}^*$-algebra of all $\tau$-measurable operators. Let $S_0(\mathcal{M},\tau)$ be the ${}^*$-algebra of all $\tau$-compact operators and $T(\mathcal{M},\tau)=S_0(\mathcal{M},\tau)+\mathbb{C}I$ be the ${}^*$-algebra of all operators $X=A+\lambda I$ with $A\in S_0(\mathcal{M},\tau)$ and $\lambda \in \mathbb{C}$. It is proved that every operator of $T(\mathcal{M},\tau)$ that is left-invertible in $T(\mathcal{M},\tau)$ is in fact invertible in $T(\mathcal{M},\tau)$. It is a generalization of Sterling Berberian theorem (1982) on the subalgebra of thin operators in $\mathcal{B} (\mathcal{H})$. For the singular value function $\mu(t; Q)$ of $Q=Q^2\in S(\mathcal{M},\tau)$, the inclusion $\mu(t; Q)\in \{0\}\bigcup [1, +\infty)$ holds for all $t>0$. It gives the positive answer to the question posed by Daniyar Mushtari in 2010.