Rotational scaled quaternion division algebras (Q1185954)

The authors thoroughly investigate an interesting class of not necessarily associative (nor even flexible) algebras of rank 4 over \(\mathbb{R}\), which widely generalizes the Benkart-Osborn algebras [\textit{G. M. Benkart} and \textit{J. M. Osborn}, Pac. J. Math. 96, 265-300 (1981; Zbl 0474.17003)] and the pseudo-quaternion algebras [\textit{S. Okubo}, Hadronic J. 1, 1250-1278 (1978; Zbl 0417.17011)]. Let us, with the authors, call a 4-dimensional real algebra \(A\) a scaled quaternion algebra, SQA for short, if \(A\) has a basis \(\{\alpha_ 1,\alpha_ 2,\alpha_ 3,\alpha_ 4\}\) with respect to which the multiplication is defined by \(\alpha_ \lambda\alpha_ \mu=q_{\lambda\mu}\alpha_ \nu\) with \(q_{\lambda\mu}\in\mathbb{R}\) and \(\{\lambda,\mu\}=\{1,\nu\}\) for \(\nu\in\{1,2,3,4\}\) and \(|\{\lambda,\mu,\nu\}|=3\) for \(\lambda,\mu,\nu\in\{2,3,4\}\). Any basis yielding such a multiplication is a standard basis. An SQA where the coefficients \(q_{\lambda\mu}\) with respect to a standard basis reduce to \(q_{13}=q_{14}=u\), \(q_{23}=-q_{24}=v\), \(q_{31}=q_{41}=w\), \(q_{32}=-q_{42}=x\), \(q_{33}=q_{44}=y\) and \(q_{34}=-q_{43}=z\) is called a rotational scaled quaternion algebra, RSQA for short, because in certain cases its automorphism group contains \(SO(2)\). Some elegant but elementary transformations give the following necessary and sufficient condition for an RSQA with standard basis \(\{\alpha_ 1,\dots,\alpha_ 4\}\) and coefficients as above to be a division algebra: \(-svwz,ruxz,q_{22}vxy, q_{11}uwy<0\) with \(r=q_{12}\) and \(s=q_{21}\). Let us call such an algebra rotational scaled quaternion division algebra, RSQDA for short. Lengthy computations which are performed with great skill yield necessary and sufficient conditions for the coefficients for the isomorphy of RSQDAs; as a corollary the authors prove that the automorphism group of such an algebra is isomorphic to \(SO(3)\) or to \(\mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}\times SO(2)\). As usual we call a linear transformation \(\delta\) of an algebra \(A\) into itself a derivation of \(A\) if it satisfies \(\delta(\xi\eta)=\delta(\xi)\eta+\xi\delta(\eta)\) for all \(\xi,\eta\) in \(A\). The matrix of any derivation of an RSQDA with respect to a standard basis is completely determined; as a corollary one sees that the derivation algebra of an RSQDA is isomorphic to \(\mathbb{R}\) or to \(su(2)\). The next result concerns the nullity of an RSQDA \(A\), i.e. the smallest number of elements that generate \(A\): with coefficients as above the nullity of an RSQDA is 1 iff \(v+x\neq 0\) or \(r\neq u\) or \(s\neq w\). -- Finally the coefficients of a normed RSQA with respect to a standard basis are found to be 1 or \(-1\); using this and a computer check of the division algebra conditions the authors determine the 16 nonisomorphic normed RSQAs.