Tools to specify semi-simple Jordan triple systems (Q2145102)

A finite-dimensional Jordan triple \(\mathcal J\) over a field \(\mathbb K\) of characteristic different from \(2\) and \(3\) is said to be \textit{pseudo-Euclidean} if it is equipped with an \textit{invariant scalar product}, i.e. with a nondegenerate symmetric bilinear form \(B\) that is also invariant: \(B(L(x,y)z, u)=B(z, L(y, x)u)\) for all \(x, y, z, u\) in \(\mathcal J\). In Theorem 2.1 the authors prove that \(\mathcal J\) is semisimple if and only if the Casimir operator associated to the invariant scalar product \(B\) is invertible. A similar characterization was proved by \textit{S. Benayadi} for Lie algebras [Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 125, No. 3, 685--688 (1997; Zbl 0891.17005)]. They also characterize the semisimplicty and simplicity in terms of the \textit{index} of \((\mathcal J, B)\), defined as the dimension of the linear space spanned by its invariant scalar products.