Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 iii Paper 106 5 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The Riesz-Markov-Kakutani representation theorem identifies the dual of the complex space of continuous functions on a compact space with finite regular complex Borel measures on : each bounded linear functional has a unique representationHere is the variation measure; positive functionals correspond exactly to positive regular measures. This is the measure representation theorem, rather than the Hilbert-space representation of a functional by a vector.
For the spectral construction use the convention that the Hilbert inner product is linear in its first argument. A unital subalgebra of is understood to contain : an algebra whose abstract identity is a smaller projection could not give a resolution normalized by . On a compact Hausdorff space, a resolution of the identity is understood to be a normalized regular projection-valued measure: its scalar measures are regular, its values are orthogonal projections, and it is countably additive in the strong operator topology. Regularity is part of the usual convention needed for the uniqueness assertion; the statement is interpreted in this sense.
The Commutative Gelfand--Naimark theorem makes the Gelfand transform an isometric unital star-isomorphism , where is compact Hausdorff. Denote its inverse by . For , the bounded linear functional has norm at most . Riesz-Markov-Kakutani gives a regular complex measure such thatUniqueness makes these measures sesquilinear in . For , the identity shows positivity, so is positive with total mass .
For every Borel set , the bounded sesquilinear form determines an operator by Hilbert-space Riesz representation theorem, withIn particular and is self-adjoint. We now verify the projection identity rather than assume it.
For continuous , uniqueness of the representing measure applied to continuous test functions givesThese identities imply . Testing once more against a continuous givesThe restriction of a finite regular Borel measure is still regular, so uniqueness in Riesz-Markov-Kakutani yields . Consequently, for any Borel ,Taking proves that is an orthogonal projection. Also and . For disjoint , these projections are orthogonal, and scalar countable additivity gives weak countable additivity. If , then is the projection of the remaining union andThus countable additivity holds in the strong operator topology. The scalar measures are the regular measures already constructed. This completes the scalar-measure construction of a projection-valued measure.
By the integral theorem permitted in the question, continuous satisfies , and hence . For , this proves the spectral theorem for a commutative operator algebra:Any other regular resolution giving these integrals has the same scalar integrals on all of ; Riesz-Markov-Kakutani uniqueness forces the same scalar measures and therefore the same projections on every Borel set.
For nonempty open , compact Hausdorff normality supplies a nonzero continuous function supported in . If , the stated squared-norm identity for spectral integrals gives , contradicting the isometry of . This proves the full support of a faithful spectral measure propertyFaithfulness of the representation is essential here.
The spectral theorem for normal operators says that a bounded normal operator on a nonzero complex Hilbert space has a unique regular projection-valued measure on such that . Its support is all of , and bounded Borel functions have the associated Borel functional calculus for a normal operator.
For the proof sketch, is commutative because commutes with ; polynomials in these two operators commute, as do their norm limits. The map , , is onto by the character of an algebra formula and spectral permanence for C-star algebras. It is one-to-one because a character of an algebra preserves the star operation and its values on determine it on their dense polynomial algebra. It is therefore a homeomorphism from compact to the Hausdorff spectrum. Transport the resolution just constructed through this homeomorphism. It gives the formula for and full support; conversely a regular resolution for gives the same integrals for polynomials in , hence by density the same continuous functional calculus and the same resolution. This argument works without separability of .
Finally choose disjoint nonempty relatively open sets around two distinct spectral points, and put . Full support gives and , while , so . The spectral integral, or multiplicativity of its Borel calculus with , gives and also . Thus is closed, nonzero and proper, and . The spectral projection gives a reducing subspace conclusion isIn fact it is a reducing subspace, since it is also invariant under .