Rigidity theory for C∗-dynamical systems and the “Pedersen rigidity problem”

Abstract

Let [Formula: see text] be a locally compact abelian group. By modifying a theorem of Pedersen, it follows that actions of [Formula: see text] on [Formula: see text]-algebras [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are outer conjugate if and only if there is an isomorphism of the crossed products that is equivariant for the dual actions and preserves the images of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in the multiplier algebras of the crossed products. The rigidity problem discussed in this paper deals with the necessity of the last condition concerning the images of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. There is an alternative formulation of the problem: an action of the dual group [Formula: see text] together with a suitably equivariant unitary homomorphism of [Formula: see text] give rise to a generalized fixed-point algebra via Landstad’s theorem, and a problem related to the above is to produce an action of [Formula: see text] and two such equivariant unitary homomorphisms of [Formula: see text] that give distinct generalized fixed-point algebras. We present several situations where the condition on the images of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is redundant, and where having distinct generalized fixed-point algebras is impossible. For example, if [Formula: see text] is discrete, this will be the case for all actions of [Formula: see text].