arXiv2026
Let $\mathcal M$ be a semifinite von Neumann algebra and $T : \mathcal{M} \to \mathcal{M}$ be a positive $L_\infty-L_1$ contraction in the sense of Junge-Xu, of which the numerical range, when viewed as an operator on $L_2(\mathcal M),$ is contained in a closed polygon with vertices on the unit circle. In this article, we prove that there exists a positive constant $C_p(T)$ such that \begin{equation}\label{abstract1stin} \Big\|\sup_{n \ge 0}\!^{+} T^n x \Big\|_p \le C_p(T)\, \|x\|_p \end{equation} for all \( x \in L_p(\mathcal{M}) \), $1<p<\infty$ extending some noncommutative maximal ergodic inequalities proved by Junge-Xu \cite{junge-Xu} and later generalized by Bekjan \cite{Bekjan2008}. In the commutative setting, similar inequalities as in \eqref{abstract1stin} hold for arbitrary $L_\infty-L_1$ contractions with the same condition in the numerical range, yielding a vast generalization of a classical maximal ergodic theorem of Stein \cite{Stein-ergodic-theorem} proved in 1960s. Moreover, we establish a noncommutative weak-type maximal inequality for convolution powers which was proved by Calderón and Bellow \cite{Bellow-Calderon} in the classical setting, complementing our strong type noncommutative maximal ergodic inequalities. Our method relies on several new polynomial identities, suitable square function estimates tailored to fit our setting and generalization of Stein's method of embedding maximal function into analytic family of operators. However, we show that even in the classical setting, the variational inequality extending \eqref{abstract1stin} holds for arbitrary operators described above, precisely when the spectrum meets the unit circle only at $1.$