In functional analysis, a branch of mathematics, the ultraweak topology, also called the weak-* topology, or weak-* operator topology or σ-weak topology, is a topology on B(H), the space of bounded operators on a Hilbert space H. B(H) admits a predual B_*(H), the trace class operators on H. The ultraweak topology is the weak-* topology so induced; in words, the ultraweak topology is the weakest topology such that predual elements remain continuous on B(H).^[1]

Relation with the weak (operator) topology

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The ultraweak topology is similar to the weak operator topology. For example, on any norm-bounded set the weak operator and ultraweak topologies are the same, and in particular the unit ball is compact in both topologies. The ultraweak topology is stronger than the weak operator topology.

One problem with the weak operator topology is that the dual of B(H) with the weak operator topology is "too small". The ultraweak topology fixes this problem: the dual is the full predual B_*(H) of all trace class operators. In general the ultraweak topology is more useful than the weak operator topology, but it is more complicated to define, and the weak operator topology is often more apparently convenient.

The ultraweak topology can be obtained from the weak operator topology as follows. If H₁ is a separable infinite dimensional Hilbert space then B(H) can be embedded in B(H⊗H₁) by tensoring with the identity map on H₁. Then the restriction of the weak operator topology on B(H⊗H₁) is the ultraweak topology of B(H).

References

^ Strătilă & Zsidó 1979.

Narici, Lawrence; Beckenstein, Edward (2011). Topological Vector Spaces. Pure and applied mathematics (Second ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. ISBN 978-1584888666. OCLC 144216834.
Schaefer, Helmut H.; Wolff, Manfred P. (1999). Topological Vector Spaces. GTM. Vol. 8 (Second ed.). New York, NY: Springer New York Imprint Springer. ISBN 978-1-4612-7155-0. OCLC 840278135.
Strătilă, Șerban Valentin; Zsidó, László (1979). Lectures on Von Neumann Algebras (1st English ed.). Editura Academici / Abacus. pp. 16–17.((cite book)): CS1 maint: date and year (link)
Trèves, François (2006) [1967]. Topological Vector Spaces, Distributions and Kernels. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-45352-1. OCLC 853623322.

v t e Banach space topics
Types of Banach spaces	Asplund Banach list Banach lattice Grothendieck Hilbert Inner product space Polarization identity (Polynomially) Reflexive Riesz L-semi-inner product (B Strictly Uniformly) convex Uniformly smooth (Injective Projective) Tensor product (of Hilbert spaces)
Banach spaces are:	Barrelled Complete F-space Fréchet tame Locally convex Seminorms/Minkowski functionals Mackey Metrizable Normed norm Quasinormed Stereotype
Function space Topologies	Banach–Mazur compactum Dual Dual space Dual norm Operator Ultraweak Weak polar operator Strong polar operator Ultrastrong Uniform convergence
Linear operators	Adjoint Bilinear form operator sesquilinear (Un)Bounded Closed Compact on Hilbert spaces (Dis)Continuous Densely defined Fredholm kernel operator Hilbert–Schmidt Functionals positive Pseudo-monotone Normal Nuclear Self-adjoint Strictly singular Trace class Transpose Unitary
Operator theory	Banach algebras C-algebras Operator space Spectrum C-algebra radius Spectral theory of ODEs Spectral theorem Polar decomposition Singular value decomposition
Theorems	Anderson–Kadec Banach–Alaoglu Banach–Mazur Banach–Saks Banach–Schauder (open mapping) Banach–Steinhaus (Uniform boundedness) Bessel's inequality Cauchy–Schwarz inequality Closed graph Closed range Eberlein–Šmulian Freudenthal spectral Gelfand–Mazur Gelfand–Naimark Goldstine Hahn–Banach hyperplane separation Kakutani fixed-point Krein–Milman Lomonosov's invariant subspace Mackey–Arens Mazur's lemma M. Riesz extension Parseval's identity Riesz's lemma Riesz representation Robinson-Ursescu Schauder fixed-point
Analysis	Abstract Wiener space Banach manifold bundle Bochner space Convex series Differentiation in Fréchet spaces Derivatives Fréchet Gateaux functional holomorphic quasi Integrals Bochner Dunford Gelfand–Pettis regulated Paley–Wiener weak Functional calculus Borel continuous holomorphic Measures Lebesgue Projection-valued Vector Weakly / Strongly measurable function
Types of sets	Absolutely convex Absorbing Affine Balanced/Circled Bounded Convex Convex cone (subset) Convex series related ((cs, lcs)-closed, (cs, bcs)-complete, (lower) ideally convex, (Hx), and (Hwx)) Linear cone (subset) Radial Radially convex/Star-shaped Symmetric Zonotope
Subsets / set operations	Affine hull (Relative) Algebraic interior (core) Bounding points Convex hull Extreme point Interior Linear span Minkowski addition Polar (Quasi) Relative interior
Examples	Absolute continuity AC $ba(\Sigma )$ c space Banach coordinate BK Besov $B_{p,q}^{s}(\mathbb {R} )$ Birnbaum–Orlicz Bounded variation BV Bs space Continuous C(K) with K compact Hausdorff Hardy H^p Hilbert H Morrey–Campanato $L^{\lambda ,p}(\Omega )$ ℓ^p ${\displaystyle \ell ^{\infty ))$ L^p ${\displaystyle L^{\infty ))$ weighted Schwartz $S\left(\mathbb {R} ^{n}\right)$ Segal–Bargmann F Sequence space Sobolev W^k,p Sobolev inequality Triebel–Lizorkin Wiener amalgam $W(X,L^{p})$
Applications	Differential operator Finite element method Mathematical formulation of quantum mechanics Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) Validated numerics

v t e Hilbert spaces
Basic concepts	Adjoint Inner product and L-semi-inner product Hilbert space and Prehilbert space Orthogonal complement Orthonormal basis
Main results	Bessel's inequality Cauchy–Schwarz inequality Riesz representation
Other results	Hilbert projection theorem Parseval's identity Polarization identity (Parallelogram law)
Maps	Compact operator on Hilbert space Densely defined Hermitian form Hilbert–Schmidt Normal Self-adjoint Sesquilinear form Trace class Unitary
Examples	Cⁿ(K) with K compact & n<∞ Segal–Bargmann F

v t e Duality and spaces of linear maps
Basic concepts	Dual space Dual system Dual topology Duality Operator topologies Polar set Polar topology Topologies on spaces of linear maps
Topologies	Norm topology Dual norm Ultraweak/Weak-* Weak polar operator in Hilbert spaces Mackey Strong dual polar topology operator Ultrastrong
Main results	Banach–Alaoglu Mackey–Arens
Maps	Transpose of a linear map
Subsets	Saturated family Total set
Other concepts	Biorthogonal system

v t e Topological vector spaces (TVSs)
Basic concepts	Banach space Completeness Continuous linear operator Linear functional Fréchet space Linear map Locally convex space Metrizability Operator topologies Topological vector space Vector space
Main results	Anderson–Kadec Banach–Alaoglu Closed graph theorem F. Riesz's Hahn–Banach (hyperplane separation Vector-valued Hahn–Banach) Open mapping (Banach–Schauder) Bounded inverse Uniform boundedness (Banach–Steinhaus)
Maps	Bilinear operator form Linear map Almost open Bounded Continuous Closed Compact Densely defined Discontinuous Topological homomorphism Functional Linear Bilinear Sesquilinear Norm Seminorm Sublinear function Transpose
Types of sets	Absolutely convex/disk Absorbing/Radial Affine Balanced/Circled Banach disks Bounding points Bounded Complemented subspace Convex Convex cone (subset) Linear cone (subset) Extreme point Pre-compact/Totally bounded Prevalent/Shy Radial Radially convex/Star-shaped Symmetric
Set operations	Affine hull (Relative) Algebraic interior (core) Convex hull Linear span Minkowski addition Polar (Quasi) Relative interior
Types of TVSs	Asplund B-complete/Ptak Banach (Countably) Barrelled BK-space (Ultra-) Bornological Brauner Complete Convenient (DF)-space Distinguished F-space FK-AK space FK-space Fréchet tame Fréchet Grothendieck Hilbert Infrabarreled Interpolation space K-space LB-space LF-space Locally convex space Mackey (Pseudo)Metrizable Montel Quasibarrelled Quasi-complete Quasinormed (Polynomially Semi-) Reflexive Riesz Schwartz Semi-complete Smith Stereotype (B Strictly Uniformly) convex (Quasi-) Ultrabarrelled Uniformly smooth Webbed With the approximation property
Category

Relation with the weak (operator) topology

See also

References