Leavitt path algebras: the first decade

The algebraic structures known as {\it Leavitt path algebras} were initially developed in 2004 by Ara, Moreno and Pardo, and almost simultaneously (using a different approach) by the author and Aranda Pino. During the intervening decade, these algebras have attracted significant interest and attention, not only from ring theorists, but from analysts working in C$^*$-algebras, group theorists, and symbolic dynamicists as well. The goal of this article is threefold: to introduce the notion of Leavitt path algebras to the general mathematical community; to present some of the important results in the subject; and to describe some of the field's currently unresolved questions.Comment: 53 pages. To appear, Bulletin of Mathematical Sciences. (page numbering in arXiv version will differ from page numbering in BMS published version; numbering of Theorems, etc ... will be the same in both versions

Convex subshifts, separated Bratteli diagrams, and ideal structure of tame separated graph algebras

We introduce a new class of partial actions of free groups on totally disconnected compact Hausdorff spaces, which we call convex subshifts. These serve as an abstract framework for the partial actions associated with finite separated graphs in much the same way as classical subshifts generalize the edge shift of a finite graph. We define the notion of a finite type convex subshift and show that any such subshift is Kakutani equivalent to the partial action associated with a finite bipartite separated graph. We then study the ideal structure of both the full and the reduced tame graph C*-algebras, $\mathcal{O}(E,C)$ and $\mathcal{O}^r(E,C)$, of a separated graph $(E,C)$, and of the abelianized Leavitt path algebra $L_K^{\text{ab}}(E,C)$ as well. These algebras are the (reduced) crossed products with respect to the above-mentioned partial actions, and we prove that there is a lattice isomorphism between the lattice of induced ideals and the lattice of hereditary $D^{\infty}$-saturated subsets of a certain infinite separated graph $(F_{\infty},D^{\infty})$ built from $(E,C)$, called the separated Bratteli diagram of $(E,C)$. We finally use these tools to study simplicity and primeness of the tame separated graph algebras.Comment: 60 page

Stable rank of graph algebras. Type I graph algebras and their limits

For an arbitrary countable directed graph E we show that the only possible values of the stable rank of the associated Cuntz-Krieger algebra C*(E) are 1, 2 or \infty. Explicit criteria for each of these three cases are given. We characterize graph algebras of type I, and graph algebras which are inductive limits of C*-algebras of type I. We also show that a gauge-invariant ideal of a graph algebra is itself isomorphic to a graph algebra.Comment: 13 pages, LaTe