Approximate double commutants in von Neumann algebras

Abstract

Richard Kadison showed that not every commutative von Neumann subalgebra of a factor von Neumann algebra is equal to its relative double commutant. We prove that every commutative C*-subalgebra of a centrally prime C*-algebra $B$ equals its relative approximate double commutant. If $B$ is a von Neumann algebra, there is a related distance formula.