The four-dimensional Sklyanin algebras (Q1327526)

This is a beautiful report on a beautiful subject. Sklyanin algebras are graded noncommutative algebras having strong regularity properties [\textit{M. Artin, J. Tate} and \textit{M. van den Bergh}, Invent. Math. 106, 335-388 (1991; Zbl 0763.14001); \textit{M. Artin} and \textit{W. Schelter}, Adv. Math. 66, 171-216 (1987; Zbl 0633.16001)]. Initially, they arose from Baxter's solution of the Yang-Baxter equation [\textit{E. K. Sklyanin}, Funkts. Anal. Prilozh. 16, 27-34 (1982; Zbl 0513.58028)]. A geometrical construction and generalizations were provided by \textit{A. Odeskij} and \textit{B. Feigin} [Funkts. Anal. Prilozh. 23, 45-54 (1989; Zbl 0687.17001)] and more recently by \textit{J. Tate} and \textit{M. van den Bergh}, Homological properties of Sklyanin algebras (preprint 1993)]. Let us fix a Sklyanin algebra \(A = A(E,\tau)\) of dimension 4; it is constructed from an elliptic curve \(E\), a line bundle of degree 4 over \(E\) and a point \(\tau \in E\) not of order 4. (Sklyanin algebras of dimension 3 are defined in a similar way, taking instead a line bundle of degree 3.) The main part of the survey under review deals with the classification of all the irreducible finite dimensional \(A\)-modules. Work in this direction was done, besides the already mentioned authors, by Levasseur, Smith, Stafford, Staniszkis. The main steps are: (1) The problem is reduced to the classification of all the irreducible objects in the category \(\text{Proj }A\) (this is the category of finitely generated graded modules localized at the subcategory of finite dimensional ones). Indeed, a simple finite dimensional \(A\)-module is always the quotient of an irreducible from \(\text{Proj }A\). One should also decide which of those irreducibles from \(\text{Proj }A\) have a finite dimensional quotient. (2) The first approximation to the irreducibles of \(\text{Proj }A\) is to classify the point modules. These are cyclic modules having the same Hilbert series as a polynomial ring in one variable, and for a commutative graded algebra, these are in bijective correspondence with the points of the associated projective variety. In the present case, the point modules are in bijective correspondence with the points of \(E\) plus 4 more points. (3) The irreducible modules which are not point ones are called fat. There is also the notion of line modules: cyclic modules having the same Hilbert series as a polynomial ring in two variables. In this case, they are in correspondence with the lines secant to \(E\), and any fat module is a quotient of a line module. If \(\tau\) is not of finite order, the classification can now be worked out (see the following review Zbl 0809.16052). If \(\tau\) is of finite order, the classification requires more work and was done by the author [The four dimensional Sklyanin algebra at points of finite order (Preprint 1992)]. The difference between the two cases has its roots at the center of the Sklyanin algebra. Indeed, in the infinite case, the center is generated by 2 elements first found by Sklyanin, whereas in the second case \(A\) is a finite module over the center.