Metrics on state spaces

Abstract

In contrast to the usual Lipschitz seminorms associated to ordinary metrics on compact spaces, we show by examples that Lipschitz seminorms on possibly non-commutative compact spaces are usually not determined by the restriction of the metric they define on the state space, to the extreme points of the state space. We characterize the Lipschitz norms which are determined by their metric on the whole state space as being those which are lower semicontinuous. We show that their domain of Lipschitz elements can be enlarged so as to form a dual Banach space, which generalizes the situation for ordinary Lipschitz seminorms. We give a characterization of the metrics on state spaces which come from Lipschitz seminorms. The natural (broader) setting for these results is provided by the “function spaces” of Kadison. A variety of methods for constructing Lipschitz seminorms is indicated.