Since 1975, when Arveson [2] established a distance formula for nest algebras, distance formulae have become increasingly important to our understanding of reflexive operator algebras. Operator algebras which have distance formulae are said to be hyperreflexive [3]. In this paper we study a dual notion of hyperreflexivity for subspace lattices. We show that every commutative subspace lattice is hyperreflexive, and obtain an estimate of the associated distance constant, called the constant of hyperreflexivity. Sharper estimates are obtained in special cases such as nests and the projection lattices of certain von-Neumann algebras. We study an asymptotic variant of hyperreflexivity, which illustrates one of the differences between hyperreflexivity for subspace lattices and for operator algebras. Then we construct some reflexive, but not hyperreflexive subspace lattices. These are atomic Boolean algebras of subspaces, obtained by piecing together hyperreflexive subspace lattices with arbitrarily large constants of hyperreflexivity. Finally we examine 4-element Boolean algebras generated by pairs of complementary subspaces. According to Halmos [11], such subspace lattices are reflexive, but we show that hyperreflexivity depends on the spatial alignment of the subspaces.
Hyperreflexive subspace latticesLet ^{JF) and ^{J^) denote, respectively, the algebra of all (bounded linear) operators, and the lattice of all (self-adjoint) projections, on a Hilbert space 3tf. A weakly closed subalgebra of ^(Jf), containing the identity operator 1, will be called an operator algebra, and a strongly closed sublattice of ^(«#), containing the trivial projections 0 and 1, will be called a subspace lattice. For any subset si of $?(Jf), lat si denotes the subspace lattice consisting of all projections P for which P l AP = 0 for all A in si (where P 1 = 1 -P); dually, for any subset <£ of ^f ) , we denote by alg J£? the operator algebra consisting of all operators A for which P L AP = 0 for all P in if. We say that si is reflexive if si = alg lat si, and J? is reflexive if if = lat alg if [10].Suppose that P is a projection and if is a subspace lattice. The Arveson distance of P from if, namely p(P, if), is defined by 0(P,J?) = supQP'-APW :/fe(alg S£ )J, where (alg if ) x denotes the set of all contractions in alg if.We are concerned with the relationship between /?(/*, if) and d(P,J£), the ordinary metric distance of P from SC, defined by