We revisit tensor algebras of subproduct systems with Hilbert space fibers, resolving some open questions in the case of infinite-dimensional fibers. We characterize when a tensor algebra can be identified as the algebra of uniformly continuous noncommutative functions on a noncommutative homogeneous variety or, equivalently, when it is residually finite-dimensional: this happens precisely when the closed homogeneous ideal associated with the subproduct system satisfies a Nullstellensatz with respect to the algebra of uniformly continuous noncommutative functions on the noncommutative closed unit ball. We show that – in contrast to the finite-dimensional case – in the case of infinite-dimensional fibers, this Nullstellensatz may fail. Finally, we also resolve the isomorphism problem for tensor algebras of subproduct systems: two such tensor algebras are (isometrically) isomorphic if and only if their subproduct systems are isomorphic in an appropriate sense.

We study ${{\text{w}}^{*}}$-semicrossed products over actions of the free semigroup and the free abelian semigroup on (possibly non-selfadjoint) ${{\text{w}}^{*}}$-closed algebras. We show that they are reflexive when the dynamics are implemented by uniformly bounded families of invertible row operators. Combining with results of Helmer, we derive that ${{\text{w}}^{*}}$-semicrossed products of factors (on a separableHilbert space) are reflexive. Furthermore, we show that ${{\text{w}}^{*}}$-semicrossed products of automorphic actions on maximal abelian self adjoint algebras are reflexive. In all cases we prove that the ${{\text{w}}^{*}}$-semicrossed products have the bicommutant property if and only if the ambient algebra of the dynamics does also.

Let ${{H}^{2}}\left( \Omega \right)$ be the Hardy space on a strictly pseudoconvex domain $\Omega \,\subset \,{{\mathbb{C}}^{n}}$, and let $A\,\subset \,{{L}^{\infty }}\left( \partial \Omega \right)$ denote the subalgebra of all ${{L}^{\infty }}$-functions $f$ with compact Hankel operator ${{H}_{f}}$. Given any closed subalgebra $B\,\subset \,A$ containing $C\left( \partial \Omega \right)$, we describe the first Hochschild cohomology group of the corresponding Toeplitz algebra $\mathcal{T}\left( B \right)\,\subset \,B\left( {{H}^{2}}\left( \Omega \right) \right)$. In particular, we show that every derivation on $\mathcal{T}\left( A \right)$ is inner. These results are new even for $n\,=\,1$, where it follows that every derivation on $\mathcal{T}\left( {{H}^{\infty }}\,+\,C \right)$ is inner, while there are non-inner derivations on $\mathcal{T}\left( {{H}^{\infty }}\,+\,C\left( \partial {{\mathbb{B}}_{n}} \right) \right)$ over the unit ball ${{\mathbb{B}}_{n}}$ in dimension $n\,>\,1$.

Let $\mathcal{T}$ be the ${{C}^{*}}$-algebra generated by the Toeplitz operators $\left\{ {{T}_{\varphi }}:\varphi \in {{L}^{\infty }}\left( S,d\sigma \right) \right\}$ on the Hardy space ${{H}^{2}}\left( S \right)$ of the unit sphere in ${{C}^{n}}$. It is well known that $\mathcal{T}$ is contained in the essential commutant of $\left\{ {{T}_{\varphi }}:\varphi \in \text{VMO}\cap {{L}^{\infty }}\left( S,d\sigma \right) \right\}$. We show that the essential commutant of $\left\{ {{T}_{\varphi }}:\varphi \in \text{VMO}\cap {{L}^{\infty }}\left( S,d\sigma \right) \right\}$ is strictly larger than $\mathcal{T}$.

This paper is a comprehensive study of the nest representations for the free semigroupoid algebra ${\mathfrak{L}}_G$ of a countable directed graph $G$ as well as its norm-closed counterpart, the tensor algebra ${\mathcal{T}}^{+}(G)$.

We prove that the finite-dimensional nest representations separate the points in ${\mathfrak{L}}_G$, and a fortiori, in ${\mathcal{T}}^{+}(G)$. The irreducible finite-dimensional representations separate the points in ${\mathfrak{L}}_G$ if and only if $G$ is transitive in components (which is equivalent to being semisimple). Also the upper triangular nest representations separate points if and only if for every vertex $x \in {\mathcal{T}}(G)$ supporting a cycle, $x$ also supports at least one loop edge.

We also study faithful nest representations. We prove that ${\mathfrak{L}}_G$ (or ${\mathcal{T}}^{+}(G)$) admits a faithful irreducible representation if and only if $G$ is strongly transitive as a directed graph. More generally, we obtain a condition on $G$ which is equivalent to the existence of a faithful nest representation. We also give a condition that determines the existence of a faithful nest representation for a maximal type ${\mathbb{N}}$ nest.

The index theory considered in this paper, a generalisation of the classical Fredholm index theory, is obtained in terms of a non-finite trace on a unital ${{C}^{*}}$-algebra. We relate it to the index theory of M. Breuer, which is developed in a von Neumann algebra setting, by means of a representation theorem. We show how our new index theory can be used to obtain an index theorem for Toeplitz operators on the compact group $\text{U}\left( 2 \right)$, where the classical index theory does not give any interesting result.

A contractive $n$-tuple $A\,=\,({{A}_{1}},...,{{A}_{n}})$ has a minimal joint isometric dilation $S\,=\,({{S}_{1}},...,{{S}_{n}})$ where the ${{S}_{i}}$’s are isometries with pairwise orthogonal ranges. This determines a representation of the Cuntz-Toeplitz algebra. When $A$ acts on a finite dimensional space, the wot-closed nonself-adjoint algebra $\mathfrak{S}$ generated by $S$ is completely described in terms of the properties of $A$. This provides complete unitary invariants for the corresponding representations. In addition, we show that the algebra $\mathfrak{S}$ is always hyper-reflexive. In the last section, we describe similarity invariants. In particular, an $n$-tuple $B$ of $d\,\times \,d$ matrices is similar to an irreducible $n$-tuple $A$ if and only if a certain finite set of polynomials vanish on $B$.