Involution codimensions of finite dimensional algebras and exponential growth (Q1969365)

By analogy with the ordinary (non-involution) polynomial identities, in the quantitative study of polynomial identities of an algebra \(A\) with involution, one considers the sequence \(c_n(A,*)\) of multilinear \(*\)-polynomial identities. Recently the authors [\textit{A. Giambruno, M. Zaicev}, Adv. Math. 140, No. 2, 145-155 (1998; Zbl 0920.16012), ibid. 142, No. 2, 221-243 (1999; Zbl 0920.16013)] have proved the remarkable result that the ordinary codimensions \(c_n(A)\) of any PI-algebra \(A\) over a field of characteristic 0 satisfy the condition that \(\text{Exp}(A)=\lim_{n\to\infty}\root{n}\of{c_n(A)}\) always exists and is an integer. In the present paper the authors establish a similar result for the asymptotics of \(*\)-codimensions in the important case when \(\dim A<\infty\). This is achieved by establishing that the \(*\)-trace codimensions and the \(*\)-codimensions are asymptotically equal and then combining a result by \textit{J.-L. Loday, C. Procesi} [Adv. Math. 69, No. 1, 93-108 (1988; Zbl 0716.17019)] on the \(*\)-trace identities of matrices with some asymptotic computations by \textit{A. Regev} [Adv. Math. 41, 115-136 (1981; Zbl 0509.20009)]. As in the ordinary case, the authors show how one can compute explicitly \(\text{Exp}(A,*)\) in terms of the presentation of \(A\) as a sum of its semisimple part and the Jacobson radical. As they have mentioned in the introduction, to compute the exponential behaviour of arbitrary algebras with involution seems to be not an easy task at present. In the ordinary case the deep structure theory of \(T\)-ideals [\textit{A. R. Kemer}, Ideals of identities of associative algebras, Transl. Math. Monogr. 87. Providence, RI: Am. Math. Soc. (1991; Zbl 0732.16001)] allows to reduce the problem to the behaviour of the polynomial identities related with a finite dimensional \(\mathbb{Z}_2\)-graded algebra. Unfortunately, such a reduction is not known for algebras with involution at present.