3-graded root systems and grids in Jordan triple systems (Q1175749)

The author studied Jordan triple systems in his book [Lect. Notes Math. 1280 (Springer 1975; Zbl 0621.17001)] by considering some specific subsets, consisting of tripotents, called cogs and grids. But, as the author points out, the Peirce relations between tripotents in a grid are naturally described in terms of 3-graded root systems, which are defined as root systems \(R\), without finiteness assumptions, such that \(R= R_ 1\cup R_ 0\cup R_{-1}\) (disjoint union), \(R_{-1}=- R_ 1\), \((R_ i+ R_ j)\cap R\subseteq R_{i+j}\) and \(R_ 0= \{\alpha -\beta\): \(\alpha,\beta\in \mathbb{R}_ 1\), \(\alpha\neq \beta\), \((\alpha, \beta)\neq 0\}\). 3-graded root systems appear naturally in Jordan triple systems by considering their Kantor-Koecher-Tits algebras, which are 3-graded Lie algebras. Once the main results on 3-graded root systems are reviewed, the author defines some discrete structures termed abstract cogs and, after a very delicate and technical work, he proves the equivalence between the so called closed abstract cogs and 3-graded root systems. Then, cogs of tripotents in Jordan triple systems are shown to be abstract cogs and, therefore, 3-graded root systems come into play. This allows to define grid bases of tripotents from the corresponding notion in root systems. As a consequence, finite-dimensional semisimple Jordan pairs over algebraically closed fields are given by generators and relations. Applications of these results to the description of 3-graded Lie algebras have also been given by the author [J. Algebra 155, 1-35 (1993; Zbl 0769.17019)].