Cocycle twisting of \(E(n)\)-module algebras and applications to the Brauer group. (Q1780004)

Let \(H\) be a finite dimensional Hopf algebra over a field \(k\). The elements of the Brauer group \(\text{BQ}(k,H)\) are represented by Yetter-Drinfeld module algebras. In the case where \(H\) is commutative and cocommutative, \(\text{BQ}(k,H)\) is isomorphic to Long's Brauer group \(\text{BD}(k,H)\). Given a quasitriangular structure \(R\) (or a coquasitriangular structure \(r\)) on \(H\), we can define subgroups \(\text{BM}(k,H,R)\) and \(\text{BC}(k,H,r)\) of \(\text{BQ}(k,H)\). The most elementary example is the Brauer-Wall group \(\text{BW}(k)\), which is the subgroup of \(\text{BD}(k,kC_2)\) with respect to the nontrivial quasitriangular structure on \(kC_2\). Computing the Brauer groups \(\text{BM}(k,H,R)\) and \(\text{BC}(k,H,r)\) is a complicated problem. In this paper, the Brauer group of the Hopf algebra \(E(n)\) is studied (over a field \(k\) of characteristic different from \(2\)). \(E(n)\) is generated by one grouplike element \(c\) of order \(2\) and \(n\) anticommuting skewprimitive elements \(x_1,\dots,x_n\), anticommuting with \(c\) and with square \(0\). \(E(1)\) is Sweedler's four-dimensional Hopf algebra. \(E(n)\) is selfdual, and its quasitriangular structures are indexed by \(\text{M}_n(k)\). A first reduction is the following: lazy cocycles were introduced by the first author and Brichon; they form a group \(Z_L(H)\). \(Z_L(E_n)\) acts on the quasitriangular structures of \(E(n)\), and two structures lying in the same orbit have the same Brauer group. The orbits are parametrized by skew symmetric matrices. The same property holds for Hopf algebra automorphisms. So it suffices to look at orbits of the action of the semidirect product \({\mathcal H}\) of \(\Aut_{\text{Hopf}}(E_n)\) and \(Z_L(H)\). These orbits are parametrized by \(n\times n\)-matrices of the form \[ J_l=\left(\begin{smallmatrix} 0&I_l&0\\ -I_l&0& 0\\ 0&0&0\end{smallmatrix}\right), \] with \(0\leq l\leq[n/2]\), and \(I_l\) the \(l\times l\)-identity matrix (see Theorem 3.9). The next step is then to describe \(\text{BM}(k,E(n),R_{J_l})\), with \(R_{J_l}\) the quasitriangular structure corresponding to the matrix \(J_l\). The main result is Theorem 5.3. Let \(r=n-2l\), and \(M'=\left(\begin{smallmatrix}0&I_l\\ -I_l& 0\end{smallmatrix}\right)\). The set \(\text{Sym}_{m,n,r}(k)\) consisting of matrices of the form \(L=\left(\begin{smallmatrix}0& L_1\\ L_1^t& L_2\end{smallmatrix}\right)\) with \(L_1\in\text{M}_{n-r,r}(k)\), \(L_2\in\text{M}_{r,r}(k)\) is a group under the operation \[ L\oplus N=L+N-2NJ_lL+2LJ_lM. \] We have a split exact sequence \[ 1\to\text{Sym}_{m,n,r}(k)\to\text{BM}(k,E(n),R_{J_l})\to\text{BM}(k,E(n-r),R_{M'})\to 1. \] If \(n=r\), then \(E(n-n)=E(0)=kC_2\), and \(\text{BM}(k,E(n-n),R_{M'})=\text{BW}(k)\), the Brauer-Wall group of \(k\). In particular, if \(A\) is symmetric, then \(\text{BM}(k,E(n),R_A)\) is the direct product of the additive group of symmetric \(n\times n\)-matrices and \(\text{BW}(k)\). In the final Section, it is shown that a semidirect product of the additive group of symmetric \(n\times n\)-matrices and \(\text{GL}_n(k)/\mathbb{Z}_2\) embeds in \(\text{BQ}(k,E(n))\).