Geometric classification of unital graph C*-algebras of real rank zero

Abstract: We generalize the classification result of Restorff on Cuntz-Krieger algebras to cover all unital graph C*-algebras with real rank zero, showing that Morita equivalence in this case is determined by ordered, filtered K-theory as conjectured by three of the authors. The classification result is geometric in the sense that it establishes that any Morita equivalence between C*(E) and C*(F) in this class can be realized by a sequence of moves leading from E to F in a way resembling the role of Reidemeister moves on knots. As a key technical step, we prove that the so-called Cuntz splice leaves unital graph C*-algebras invariant up to Morita equivalence. We note that we have recently found a way to generalize the results of the present paper to cover general unital graph C*-algebras. The improved methods needed render some parts of the present paper obsolete, and hence we do not intend to publish it. Instead, we will present a complete solution (drawing heavily on many of the methods presented here) in a forthcoming paper.