\section{Multiplicative Functionals} \label{section:multiplicative-functional} \begin{definition}[Multiplicative Functional] \label{definition:multiplicative-functional} Let $A$ be a unital Banach algebra and $\phi \in A^*$, then $\phi$ is \textbf{multiplicative} if $\phi \ne 0$ and for each $x, y \in A$, $\phi(xy) = \phi(x)\phi(y)$. \end{definition} \begin{proposition} \label{proposition:multiplicative-unit} Let $A$ be a unital Banach algebra and $\phi \in A^*$ be a multiplicative functional, then \begin{enumerate} \item For each $x \in A$, $|\phi(x)| \le [x]_{sp} \le \norm{x}_A$. \item $\norm{\phi}_{A^*} = 1$. \item $\phi(G(A)) \subset \complex \setminus \bracs{0}$. \end{enumerate} \end{proposition} \begin{proof} (3): For each $x \in G(A)$, $1 = \phi(xx^{-1}) = \phi(x)\phi(x^{-1}) \ne 0$. (1): By (3), for every $\lambda \in \complex$ with $|\lambda| > [x]_{sp}$, $\lambda x \in G(A)$ and $\lambda - \phi(x) \ne 0$. Therefore $\phi(x) \in \ol{B(0, [x]_{sp})}$. (2): For each $\lambda \in \complex$, $\phi(\lambda 1) = \lambda$, so $\norm{\phi}_{A^*} \le 1$. \end{proof} \begin{definition}[Space of Multiplicative Linear Functionals] \label{definition:multiplicative-linear-functional-space} Let $A$ be a unital Banach algebra, then $\Omega(A)$ is the \textbf{space of multiplicative linear functionals}, which is a compact Hausdorff space under the weak-* topology. \end{definition} \begin{proof} By the \hyperref[Banach-Alaoglu Theorem]{theorem:alaoglu}. \end{proof} \begin{proposition} \label{proposition:commutative-maximal-ideal-space} Let $A$ be a commutative unital Banach algebra, then the mapping \[ \Omega(A) \to \cm(A) \quad \phi \mapsto \ker(\phi) \] is a bijection. \end{proposition} \begin{proof} For each $\phi \in \cm(A)$, $\ker(\phi)$ is an ideal of codimension $1$, and must be maximal. On the other hand, for each $I \in \Omega(A)$, the quotient $A/I$ is a field, so by the \hyperref[Gelfand-Mazur Theorem]{theorem:gelfand-mazur}, it is isomorphic to $\complex$. Thus the canonical projection $A \to A/I \iso \complex$ induces a multiplicative functional on $A$. \end{proof} \begin{theorem}[Gleason-Kahane-Żelazko] \label{theorem:gkz} Let $A$ be a unital Banach algebra and $\phi \in A^*$, then the following are equivalent: \begin{enumerate} \item $\phi$ is a multiplicative linear functional. \item $\phi(1) = 1$ and $\phi(G(A)) \subset \complex \setminus \bracs{0}$. \end{enumerate} \end{theorem} \begin{proof}[Proof, {{\cite[Theorem I.4.5]{Zhu}}}. ] (1) $\Rightarrow$ (2): \autoref{proposition:multiplicative-unit}. (2) $\Rightarrow$ (1): Let $x \in A$ and $\lambda \in \complex$ with $|\lambda| > [x]_{sp}$, then $\lambda - x \in G(A)$ and $\phi(\lambda - x) \ne 0$. Therefore $\phi(x) \subset \ol{B(0, [x]_{sp})}$, and $\norm{\phi}_{A^*} = 1$. Let $x \in \ker \phi$ with $\norm{x}_A \le 1$, and let \[ f: \complex \to \complex \quad \lambda \mapsto \phi[\exp(\lambda x)] = \sum_{n = 0}^\infty \frac{\phi[(\lambda x)^n]}{n!} \] then \begin{enumerate}[label=(\alph*)] \item $f(0) = \phi(1) = 1$. \item $Df(0) = \phi(x) = 0$. \item Since $\norm{x}_A \le 1$, $|f| \le |\exp|$. As $\exp(\lambda x) \in G(A)$ for all $\lambda \in \complex$, $f(\lambda) \ne 0$ for all $\lambda \in \complex$. \end{enumerate} By \autoref{proposition:entire-constant}, $f = 1$, and $\phi(x^2) = 0$, so for any $x \in \ker\phi$, $x^2 \in \ker\phi$ as well. Now, for each $x, y \in A$, there exists $x_0, y_0 \in \ker \phi$ such that $x = x_0 + \phi(x)$ and $y = y_0 + \phi(x)$. In which case, \begin{align*} \phi(xy) &= \phi(x_0y_0 + \phi(x)y_0 + \phi(y)x_0 + \phi(x)\phi(y)) \\ &= \phi(x_0y_0) + \phi(x)\phi(y) \end{align*} In particular, \[ \phi(x^2) = \phi(x_0^2) + \phi(x)^2 = \phi(x)^2 \] To conclude, let $x \in \ker\phi$, $y \in A$, then \begin{align*} \phi((x + y)^2) &= (\phi(x + y))^2 = \phi(x)^2 + 2\phi(x)(y) + \phi(y)^2 \\ \phi(xy + yx) &= 2\phi(x)\phi(y) \end{align*} so $xy + yx \in \ker\phi$ as well. Finally, \begin{align*} (xy + yx)^2 + (xy - yx)^2 &= 2(xyxy + yxyx) \\ &= 2[x(yxy) + y(xyx)] \in \ker \phi \end{align*} and $(xy - yx)^2 \in \ker\phi$ as well, and \[ (\phi(xy - yx))^2 = \phi((xy - yx)^2) = 0 \] Therefore $2xy = (xy + yx) - (xy - yx) \in \ker \phi$, $\ker \phi$ is an ideal, and $\phi$ is a homomorphism. \end{proof}