CONTINUOUS TRACE C*-ALGEBRAS, GAUGE GROUPS AND RATIONALIZATION

Abstract

Let ζ be an n-dimensional complex matrix bundle over a compact metric space X and let Aζdenote the C*-algebra of sections of this bundle. We determine the rational homotopy type as an H-space of UAζ, the group of unitaries of Aζ. The answer turns out to be independent of the bundle ζ and depends only upon n and the rational cohomology of X. We prove analogous results for the gauge group and the projective gauge group of a principal bundle over a compact metric space X.