Composition algebras and cyclic \(p\)-algebras in characteristic 3 (Q2436626)

If \(A\) is a central simple algebra of degree \(3\) over a field \({\mathbb F}\) of characteristic \(3\) and \(A_0\) denotes its subspace of trace \(0\) elements, \(A_0\) is a Lie algebra under the commutator \([x,y]=xy-yx\), with a central ideal \({\mathbb F}1\). Surprisingly, the isomorphism class of the quotient \(A_0/{\mathbb F}1\) does not depend on \(A\), as \(A_0/{\mathbb F}1\) is always isomorphic to the projective special linear algebra \(\mathfrak{psl}_3({\mathbb F})\) which, in turn, is the (Lie!) algebra \(C_0\) of trace zero elements in the split Cayley algebra. Thus, the split Cayley algebra can be defined on the vector space \({\mathbb F}\times (A_0/{\mathbb F}1)\) in terms of the Lie bracket in \(A_0/{\mathbb F}1\). Any such algebra \(A\) has a presentation \(A=\langle x,y\mid x^3-x=\alpha 1,\;y^3=\beta 1,\;yxy^{-1}=x+1\rangle\), with \(\alpha,\beta\in{\mathbb F}\), \(\beta\neq 0\). We write \(A=[\alpha,\beta)\) in this case. A noncentral element \(y\in A\) is said to be \(3\)-central if \(y^3\in{\mathbb F}1\). A standard Galois element is an element \(x\in A\setminus {\mathbb F}1\) such that \(x^3-x\in{\mathbb F}1\). The split Cayley algebra considered above is cleverly used here to obtain a classification of maximal spaces of \(A\) consisting of \(3\)-central elements and of maximal Galois hyperplanes (affine subspaces whose elements are standard Galois). A new common slot lemma for these algebras is proved too.