Differential calculus on Jordan algebras and Jordan modules (Q1731135)

The authors concentrate mainly on the exceptional Jordan algebras [\textit{A. A. Albert}, Ann. Math. (2) 35, 65--73 (1934; Zbl 0008.42104; JFM 60.0902.03); \textit{J. C. Baez}, Bull. Am. Math. Soc., New Ser. 39, No. 2, 145--205 (2002; Zbl 1026.17001)], of 3 by 3 matrices with octagonal entries and much less on the spin-factors and formally real Jordan algebras. The Jordan modules are free in that they have linearly independent bases. \textit{N. Jacobson} proved in [Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 42, 206--224 (1937; Zbl 0017.29203; JFM 63.0873.03)] that the (Leibniz) derivations of semisimple Jordan algebras form a Lie algebra. The main result of the present article is that Jacobson's results extend to graded Jordan algebras and graded Lie algebras. The reviewer suggests that the reader consults the construction of graded Jordan algebras by \textit{V. G. Kac} in [Commun. Algebra 5, 1375--1400 (1977; Zbl 0367.17007)]. The reviewer believes that the theory was introduced by \textit{I. L. Kantor}, as in [Sov. Math., Dokl. 5, 1404--1407 (1964; Zbl 0286.17011); translation from Dokl. Akad. Nauk SSSR 158, 1271--1274 (1964); Tr. Semin. Vektorn. Tenzorn. Anal. 15, 227--266 (1970; Zbl 0221.17008); ibid. 16, 407--499 (1972; Zbl 0272.17001)]. In Section 6, the authors define connections as certain linear mappings into the space of endomorphisms of the Jordan algebra, and they play with the definition to graded Jordan modules with parallel Jordan Lie algebras. They have thus constructed a differential Riemann geometry which underlies the graded Jordan algebras, The authors describe the curvature of the differential Riemann manifold. They describe connections of the derivative algebra to endomorphisms of the Jordan algebra and generalise this to graded Jordan algebras and the parallel graded Lie algebras. The \(N\) graded Jordan algebras can be infinite dimensional and noncommutative geometry comes in here, using von Neumann algebras or \(C^*\) algebras, in order to take injective limits. There was no mathematical theory on the physics behind the mathematics until Jordan and Wigner, 1927, and Jordan, Wigner and von Neumann [\textit{P. Jordan} et al., Ann. Math. (2) 35, 29--64 (1934; Zbl 0008.42103; JFM 60.0902.02)]. In [Mat. Sb., N. Ser. 12(54), 197--213 (1943; Zbl 0060.27006)] \textit{I. Gel'fand} and \textit{M. Naĭmark} defined vacuum states. These are the same as the ground states which refer to minimal-energy states. These are stable states and computations can be made. In their Remark 6.1.3 the authors say that, more or less, that there is a 1-1 correspondence between the geometrically flat points and the ground states, and there is a heuristic proof that different flat ground states are unitarily independent. The references quoted are [\textit{M. Dubois-Violette} et al., Classical Quantum Gravity 6, No. 11, 1709--1724 (1989; Zbl 0675.53071)] and [\textit{M. Dubois-Violette}, Lect. Notes Phys. 375, 13--24 (1991; Zbl 0744.53042)]. [The reviewer e-mailed Professor Dubois-Violette for more precise details but received no reply.] In the 1940s, the perturbation and renormalization theory consisted largely of formal manipulations. This led Riis Jost to the sarcastic remark: ``In the thirties, under the demoralizing influence of quantum theoretic perturbation theory, the mathematics required of a theoretical physicist was reduced to a rudimentary knowledge of the Latin and Greek alphabets.'' In those days, a module was often a surface covered with little arrows indicating the field. A module is a set of objects put together to make up a building. In this case the buildings are algebras. The reviewer disagrees with the authors' definition of Jordan module, as they are dealing with non-relativistic quantum mechanics, and therefore using the wrong quantum field theory. See the book by Rudolf Haag: Local Quantum Physics, in which the quantum field theory of local observables is described. The correct definition of Jordan module should be the modular algebras of \textit{M. Takesaki} [Tomita's theory of modular Hilbert algebras and its applications. Berlin etc.: Springer-Verlag (1970; Zbl 0193.42502)]. The reviewer believes that the Jordan modules should be replaced by modular Hilbert algebras. According to the Gel'fand-Naĭmark ground states and Paul Dirac bracket notation [\textit{P. A. M. Dirac}, Proc. R. Soc. Lond., Ser. A 114, 243--265 (1927; JFM 53.0847.01)], which uses Laurent Schwartz's theory of distributions to get pre-Hilbert spaces. Originally one developed canonical commutation algebras and canonical anti-commutative algebras, needing operators on a Fock (graded) Hilbert space to describe the fundamental bosons and fermions. The two are related as corresponding to the symmetric and anti-symmetric parts of the Fock space.