Naimark's Problem for graph C*-algebras and Leavitt path algebras

Abstract

We describe how boundary paths in a graph can be used to construct irreducible representations of the associated graph C*-algebra and the associated Leavitt path algebra. We use this construction to establish two sets of results: First, we prove that Naimark's Problem has an affirmative answer for graph C*-algebras, we prove that the algebraic analogue of Naimark's Problem has an affirmative answer for Leavitt path algebras, and we give necessary and sufficient conditions on the graphs for the hypotheses of Naimark's Problem to be satisfied. Second, we characterize when a graph C*-algebra has a countable (i.e., finite or countably infinite) spectrum, and prove that in this case the unitary equivalence classes of irreducible representations are in one-to-one correspondence with the shift-tail equivalence classes of the boundary paths of the graph.