Left ideal

A left ideal $L$ of an associative algebra $A$ is a vector subspace satisfying $AL\subseteq L$. Equivalently, it is a submodule of the left regular $A$-module.

A maximal left ideal is a proper left ideal contained in no larger proper left ideal. In a unital Banach algebra it is norm closed: its closure is a left ideal, and if that closure were the entire algebra it would contain elements of $L$ within distance less than one of $1$, hence invertible by the Neumann series. A proper left ideal contains no invertible element. The quotient $A/L$ is consequently a quotient Banach space and a simple module.

In a complex unital Banach algebra, right multiplication by $a$ induces a bounded module endomorphism $T$ of $A/L$ when $La\subseteq L$. Every nonzero module endomorphism of this simple module is algebraically bijective, since its kernel and range are submodules. Its inverse is bounded by the bounded inverse theorem. Choosing $\lambda$ in the nonempty spectrum of an element of $T$ forces $T-\lambda I=0$. Applying this identity to $1+L$ gives $a-\lambda 1\in L$, with uniqueness because $1\notin L$.