This EMS volume consists of two parts, written by leading scientists in the field of operator algebras and non-commutative geometry. The first part, written by M.Rordam, is on Elliott's classification program for nuclear C*-algebras. The emphasis is on the work of Kirchberg and the spectacular results by Kirchberg and Phillips giving a nearly complete classification, in terms of K-theoretic invariants, in the purely infinite case. This part of the program is described with almost full proofs beginning with Kirchberg's tensor product theorems and Kirchberg's embedding theorem for exact C*-algebras. The classification of finite simple C*-algebras starting with AF-algebras, and continuing with AT- and AH-algebras is covered, but mostly without proofs. The second part, written by E.Stormer, is a survey of the theory of of noncommutative entropy of automorphisms of C*-algebras and von Neumann algebras from its initiation by Connes and Stormer in 1975 till 2001.

Since the 1970s, K-theory has become an integrated part of the study of C*-algebras. This text gives an elementary introduction to this area of mathematics. The fundamental property of K-theory is the association of a pair of Abelian groups, K0(A) and K1(A), to each C*-algebra A. These groups reflect the properties of A in many ways. In this book the authors cover the basic properties of the functors K0 and K1 and their interrelationship. In particular, the Bott periodicity theorem is proved (Atiyah's proof), and the six-term exact sequence is derived. Applications of the theory include Elliott's classification theorem for AF-algebras, and it is shown that each countable pair of Abelian groups arises as the K-groups of some C*-algebra. The theory is illustrated with 120 exercises and examples, making the work suitable for beginning graduate students working in functional analysis, especially operator algebras, and for researchers from other areas of mathematics who want to learn about this subject.

Over the past twenty-five years K-theory has become an integrated part of the study of C*-algebras. This book gives a very elementary introduction to this interesting and rapidly growing area of mathematics. The authors cover the basic properties of the functors K and K1 and their interrelationship. In particular, the Bott periodicity theorem is proved (Atiyah's proof), and the six-term exact sequence is derived. The theory is well illustrated with 120 exercises and examples, making the book ideal for beginning graduate students in functional analysis, especially operator algebras, and for researchers from other areas of mathematics who want to learn about this subject.

to the Encyclopaedia Subseries on Operator Algebras and Non-Commutative Geometry The theory of von Neumann algebras was initiated in a series of papers by Murray and von Neumann in the 1930's and 1940's. A von Neumann algebra is a self-adjoint unital subalgebra M of the algebra of bounded operators of a Hilbert space which is closed in the weak operator topology. According to von Neumann's bicommutant theorem, M is closed in the weak operator topology if and only if it is equal to the commutant of its commutant. Afactor is a von Neumann algebra with trivial centre and the work of Murray and von Neumann contained a reduction of all von Neumann algebras to factors and a classification of factors into types I, II and III. C* -algebras are self-adjoint operator algebras on Hilbert space which are closed in the norm topology. Their study was begun in the work of Gelfand and Naimark who showed that such algebras can be characterized abstractly as involutive Banach algebras, satisfying an algebraic relation connecting the norm and the involution. They also obtained the fundamental result that a commutative unital C* -algebra is isomorphic to the algebra of complex valued continuous functions on a compact space - its spectrum. Since then the subject of operator algebras has evolved into a huge mathematical endeavour interacting with almost every branch of mathematics and several areas of theoretical physics.