Preservers of the p-power and the Wasserstein means on 2x2 matrices

Abstract

In one of his recent papers, Molnár showed that if $\mathcal{A}$ is a von Neumann algebra without $I_1, I_2$-type direct summands, then any function from the positive definite cone of $\mathcal{A}$ to the positive real numbers preserving the Kubo-Ando power mean, for some $0 \neq p \in (-1,1),$ is necessarily constant. It was shown in that paper that $I_1$-type algebras admit nontrivial $p$-power mean preserving functionals, and it was conjectured that $I_2$-type algebras admit only constant $p$-power mean preserving functionals. We confirm the latter. A similar result occurred in another recent paper of Molnár concerning the Wasserstein mean. We prove the conjecture for $I_2$-type algebras in regard of the Wasserstein mean, too. We also give two conditions that characterise centrality in $C^*$-algebras.