Symmetric Hochschild extension algebras and normalized 2-cocycles (Q1729723)

Hochschild extension algebras of a given algebra are in a bijective correspondence with the second Hochschild cohomology group of the algebra with coefficients in some bimodule. Let \(K\) be a field and \(A\) be a finite dimensional \(K\)-algebra. Hochschild extension algebras of the given algebra \(A\) by a duality module \(D(A)\) are always self-injective but there are examples which are not symmetric \(K\)-algebras. It is shown that if the Hochschild extension algebra is symmetric then \(D(A)\) is the standard duality module \(\mathrm{Hom}_K(A,K)\). For \(A\) a bounded quiver algebra and \(\alpha:A\times A\rightarrow D(A)\) a Hochschild \(2\)-cocycle (here \(D(A)\) is the standard duality module) there is a result of Ohnuki, Takeda and Yamagata [\textit{Y. Ohnuki} et al., Colloq. Math. 80, No. 2, 155--174 (1999; Zbl 0961.16002)] which gives a sufficient condition (expressed as the symmetry of the action of \(\alpha\) on some paths) which implies that the Hochschild extension algebra of \(A\), determined by \(\alpha\), is a symmetric \(K\)-algebra. In the first main result of this article, the author obtains another sufficient condition for which the Hochschild extension algebra of \(A\) (which should be connected), determined by \(\alpha\), is still symmetric. This condition is about the nontriviality of the action of all dual basis elements on some elements in the center of \(A\) determined by \(\alpha\). In the second part of the article, the author gives an alternative proof of the above mentioned result of Ohnuki, Takeda and Yamagata [loc. cit.]. The main ingredient for this proof is the definition of normalized \(2\)-cocycles, related to a complete set of primitive orthogonal idempotents in \(A\), which can be associated to \(\alpha\). The author constructs a normalized \(2\)-cocycle of this type such that its cohomology class coincides with the cohomology class of \(\alpha\), as elements of \(\mathrm{HH}^2(A, D(A))\).