Polynomial preserving maps on certain Jordan algebras. (Q1885662)

The paper under review studies and describes conditions such that a linear map from a special Jordan algebra to an associative algebra is really a homomorphism. Recall that the analogous problem for associative and for Lie algebras has been answered in a series of papers by different authors, among them the ones of the present paper. The authors consider algebras over a fixed commutative ring \(Z\). Assume that \(B\) is an algebra with involution and that \(S\) is the set of all symmetric elements under that involution. Then \(S\) possesses a natural structure of a Jordan algebra. Let further \(f=f(x_1,\dots,x_m)\) be a multilinear polynomial such that all its nonzero coefficients are invertible in \(Z\), and suppose that \(S\) is invariant under \(f\). Assume further that \(A\) is a prime algebra with involution \(*\), \(C\) its extended centroid and \(Q\) the maximal ring of right quotients of \(A\). Furthermore the authors impose some mild conditions on the characteristic of \(A\) and on the degree of \(A\). Let \(\alpha\colon S\to Q\) be linear and preserve \(f\), and assume that \(\alpha(S)\subset\text{sym}(I)\) for some proper \(*\)-ideal \(I\subset A\). (Here \(\text{sym}(I)\) stands for the set of the symmetric elements of \(I\)). The main result of the paper proves that \(\alpha\) is essentially a ring homomorphism provided that either \(f\) is a Jordan polynomial or \(\alpha\) is 1-1 and \(S\) satisfies no polynomial identities of small degree. Furthermore the authors consider the case of \(f\)-derivations as well and obtain a similar result in this case.