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Abstract

Let $G$ be a locally compact group. We use the canonical operator space structure on the spaces $L^p(G)$ for $p \in [1,\infty]$ introduced by G. Pisier to define operator space analogues $OA_p(G)$ of the classical Figà-Talamanca–Herz algebras $A_p(G)$. If $p \in (1,\infty)$ is arbitrary, then $A_p(G) \subset OA_p(G)$ and the inclusion is a contraction; if $p = 2$, then $OA_2(G) \cong A(G)$ as Banach spaces, but not necessarily as operator spaces. We show that $OA_p(G)$ is a completely contractive Banach algebra for each $p \in (1,\infty)$, and that $OA_q(G) \subset OA_p(G)$ completely contractively for amenable $G$ if $1 < p \leq q \leq 2$ or $2 \leq q \leq p < \infty$. Finally, we characterize the amenability of $G$ through the existence of a bounded approximate identity in $OA_p(G)$ for one (or equivalently for all) $p \in (1,\infty)$.