The ideal separation property for reduced group $C^*$-algebras

Abstract

We say that an inclusion of a $*$-algebra $A$ into a $C^*$-algebra $B$ has the ideal separation property if closed ideals in $B$ can be recovered by their intersection with $A$. Such inclusions have attractive properties from the point of view of harmonic analysis and noncommutative geometry. We establish several permanence properties of locally compact groups for which $L^1(G) \subseteq C^*_{\mathrm{red}}(G)$ has the ideal separation property.