Gelfand–Naimark theorem

In mathematics, the Gelfand–Naimark theorem states that an arbitrary C*-algebra A is isometrically *-isomorphic to a C*-algebra of bounded operators on a Hilbert space. This result was proven by Israel Gelfand and Mark Naimark in 1943 and was a significant point in the development of the theory of C*-algebras since it established the possibility of considering a C*-algebra as an abstract algebraic entity without reference to particular realizations as an operator algebra.The Gelfand–Naimark representation π is the direct sum of representations πfof A where f ranges over the set of pure states of A and πf is the irreducible representation associated to f by the GNS construction. Thus the Gelfand–Naimark representation acts on the Hilbert direct sum of the Hilbert spaces Hf by