The Gelfand–Naimark–Segal Construction published in the AFP
Our development of the “The Gelfand–Naimark–Segal Construction” has been accepted and published by the AFP.
Abstract
This entry formalises complete normed algebras equipped with an involution, so-called C*-algebras. We provide both a class definition, and a locale for C*-algebras on carrier sets in the spirit of existing developments of linear algebra and smooth manifolds. Bounded operators on a complex Hilbert space, with the operator norm and adjoints, form such an algebra. The main theorem of this entry is a result in the converse direction: the Gelfand–Naimark–Segal (GNS) construction, which starts with a single suitable functional on a C*-algebra in order to obtain both a Hilbert space and a representation of the algebra in terms of bounded operators on that space. This is implemented as a type construction in Isabelle/HOL, taking advantage of existing mechanisms for quotient types, and integrating with existing type classes for Hilbert spaces and Cauchy completions.
The full formalisation is available here.