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Pervasive Algebras and Maximal Subalgebras

A uniform algebra $A$ on its Shilov boundary $X$ is {\em maximal} if $A$ is not $C(X)$ and there is no uniform algebra properly contained between $A$ and $C(X)$. It is {\em essentially pervasive} if $A$ is dense in $C(F)$ whenever $F$ is a proper closed subset of the essential set of $A$. If $A$ is maximal, then it is essentially pervasive and proper. We explore the gap between these two concepts. We show the following: (1) If $A$ is pervasive and proper, and has a nonconstant unimodular element, then $A$ contains an infinite descending chain of pervasive subalgebras on $X$. (2) It is possible to imbed a copy of the lattice of all subsets of $\N$ into the family of pervasive subalgebras of some $C(X)$. (3) In the other direction, if $A$ is strongly logmodular, proper and pervasive, then it is maximal. (4) This fails if the word \lq strongly' is removed. We discuss further examples, involving Dirichlet algebras, $A(U)$ algebras, Douglas algebras, and subalgebras of $H^\infty(\mathbb{D})$. We develop some new results that relate pervasiveness, maximality and relative maximality to support sets of representing measures.