A duality of locally compact groups which does not involve the Haar measure

We present a simple and intuitive framework for duality of locally compacts groups, which is not based on the Haar measure. This is a map, functorial on a non-degenerate subcategory, on the category of coinvolutive Hopf \cst-algebras, and a similar map on the category of coinvolutive Hopf-von Neumann algebras. In the \cst-version, this functor sends $C_0(G)$ to $C^*(G)$ and vice versa, for every locally compact group $G$. As opposed to preceding approaches, there is an explicit description of commutative and co-commutative algebras in the range of this map (without assumption of being isomorphic to their bidual): these algebras have the form $C_0(G)$ or $C^*(G)$ respectively, where $G$ is a locally compact group. The von Neumann version of the functor puts into duality, in the group case, the enveloping von Neumann algebras of the algebras above: $C_0(G)^{**}$ and $C^*(G)^{**}$.Comment: To appear in Math. Scan

An example of a weighted algebra Lpw(G)L_p^w(G) on uncountable group

We construct examples of weighted algebras $L_p^w(G)$ with $1<p\le 2$ on uncountable free groups. For $p>2$ no weighted algebras exist on these groups. From the other side, we prove that an amenable group on which exist weighted algebras with $p>1$ must be sigma-compact

On continuity of measurable group representations and homomorphisms

Let G be a locally compact group, and let U be its unitary representation on a Hilbert space H. Endow the space L(H) of linear bounded operators on H with weak operator topology. We prove that if U is a measurable map from G to L(H) then it is continuous. This result was known before for separable H. To prove this, we generalize a known theorem on nonmeasuralbe unions of point finite families of null sets. We prove also that the following statement is consistent with ZFC: every measurable homomorphism from a locally compact group into any topological group is continuous. This relies, in turn, on the following theorem: it is consistent with ZFC that for every null set S in a locally compact group there is a set A such that AS is non-measurable.Comment: The previous version was not final, I update it once notice

Norms of certain functions of the Laplace operator on the ax+bax+b groups

The aim of this paper is to find new estimates for the norms of functions of the (minus) Laplace operator $\cal L$ on the `$ax+b$' groups. The central part is devoted to spectrally localized wave propagators, that is, functions of the type $\psi(\sqrt{\cal L})\exp(it \sqrt{\cal L})$, with $\psi\in C_0(\mathbb{R})$. We show that for $t\to+\infty$, the convolution kernel $k_t$ of this operator satisfies $$\|k_t\|_1\asymp t, \qquad \|k_t\|_\infty\asymp 1,$$ so that the upper estimates of D. M\"uller and C. Thiele (Studia Math., 2007) are sharp. As a necessary component, we recall the Plancherel density of $\cal L$ and spend certain time presenting and comparing different approaches to its calculation. Using its explicit form, we estimate uniform norms of several functions of the shifted Laplace-Beltrami operator $\tilde\Delta$, closely related to $\cal L$. The functions include in particular $\exp(-t\tilde\Delta^\gamma)$, $t>0,\gamma>0$, and $(\tilde\Delta-z)^s$, with complex $z,s$.Comment: References corrected, and several comments reflecting previously known results were adde