Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 May 2009
Let A be a complex Banach algebra with unit e of norm one. We show that A can be represented on a compact Hausdorff space ω which arises entirely out of the algebraic and norm structures of A. This space induces an order structure on A that is preserved by the representation. In the commutative case, ω is the spectrum of A, and we have a generalization of Gelfand's representation theorem for commutative complex Banach algebras with unit. Various aspects of this representation are illustrated by considering algebras of n × n complex matrices.