States and synaptic algebras

Abstract

Different versions of the notion of a state have been formulated for various so-called quantum structures. In this paper, we investigate the interplay among states on synaptic algebras and on its sub-structures. A synaptic algebra is a generalization of the partially ordered Jordan algebra of all bounded self-adjoint operators on a Hilbert space. The paper culminates with a characterization of extremal states on a commutative generalized Hermitian algebra, a special kind of synaptic algebra.