Topological modules geometry

Abstract

The extremal structure of zero-neighbourhoods of a topological module is analyzed reaching unexpected conclusions when the module topology is not Hausdorff. These results motivate us to introduce the notion of metric modules, which are modules endowed with a translation-invariant metric, turning them into an (additive) topological group. We study the central and diametral points of additively symmetric subsets and find examples of convex sets which are not symmetric translates (translates of addivitely symmetric subsets). As a consequence of all of these, it seems natural to transport the well-known Bishop-Phelps property from the category of real topological vector spaces to general topological modules over topological rings. Then we stick to particular topological rings, the unital C∗ -algebras, showing that the subset of positive elements lying below the unity is an effect algebra. We also prove that every continuous linear operator on a Hausdorff locally convex topological vector space that commutes with all continuous linear projections of one-dimensional range is a multiple of the identity. Finally, we discuss how to transport the previous result to C∗ -algebras.