Phase transition on the Toeplitz algebra of the affine semigroup over the natural numbers

TL;DR

This paper studies the Toeplitz algebra associated with the affine semigroup over natural numbers, analyzing its structure, boundary quotients, and phase transitions in KMS states across different temperatures.

Contribution

It provides a presentation of the Toeplitz algebra, identifies the boundary quotient with Cuntz's algebra, and computes KMS states, revealing phase transitions and state classifications.

Findings

Unique KMS states for inverse temperatures 1 to 2

Phase transition at inverse temperature 2

KMS states for inverse temperature > 2 are indexed by probability measures on the circle

Abstract

We show that the group ${\mathbb Q \rtimes \mathbb Q^*_+}$ of orientation-preserving affine transformations of the rational numbers is quasi-lattice ordered by its subsemigroup ${\mathbb N \rtimes \mathbb N^\times}$. The associated Toeplitz $C^*$-algebra ${\mathcal T}({\mathbb N \rtimes \mathbb N^\times})$ is universal for isometric representations which are covariant in the sense of Nica. We give a presentation of this Toeplitz algebra in terms of generators and relations, and use this to show that the $C^*$-algebra ${\mathcal Q_\mathbb N}$ recently introduced by Cuntz is the boundary quotient of $({\mathbb Q \rtimes \mathbb Q^*_+}, {\mathbb N \rtimes \mathbb N^\times})$ in the sense of Crisp and Laca. The Toeplitz algebra ${\mathcal T}({\mathbb N \rtimes \mathbb N^\times})$ carries a natural dynamics $\sigma$, which induces the one considered by Cuntz on the quotient ${\mathcal Q_\mathbb N}$, and our main result is the computation of the KMS$_\beta$ (equilibrium) states of the dynamical system $({\mathcal T}({\mathbb N \rtimes \mathbb N^\times}), {\mathbb R},\sigma)$ for all values of the inverse temperature $\beta$. For $\beta \in [1, 2]$ there is a unique KMS$_\beta$ state, and the KMS$_1$ state factors through the quotient map onto ${\mathcal Q_\mathbb N}$, giving the unique KMS state discovered by Cuntz. At $\beta =2$ there is a phase transition, and for $\beta>2$ the KMS$_\beta$ states are indexed by probability measures on the circle. There is a further phase transition at $\beta=\infty$, where the KMS$_\infty$ states are indexed by the probability measures on the circle, but the ground states are indexed by the states on the classical Toeplitz algebra ${\mathcal T}(\mathbb N)$.