Right alternative bimodules over Cayley algebra and coordinatization theorem (Q2221996)

A nonassociative algebra over a field of characteristic not two is said to be right alternative if \((x,y,z)+(x,z,y)=0\) for all \(x,y,z\), where \((x,y,z)=(xy)z-x(yz)\) denotes the associator. It is shown that every unital right-alternative bimodule over a Cayley algebra is actually an alternative bimodule, and hence a direct sum of copies of the regular bimodule. The proof uses, in a crucial way, the known results on bimodules for Jordan algebras and the fact that right-alternative algebras become Jordan algebras under the symmetrized product. In particular, Cayley algebras become Jordan algebras of seven-dimensional quadratic forms. The previous result is then applied to show that if a Cayley algebra \(C\) is a unital subalgebra of a right-alternative algebra \(A\), and if \(E\) denotes the space of elements \(x\in A\) such that \([x,C]=(x,C,C)=(C,x,C)=0\), then \(E\) is a unital commutative and associative subalgebra of \(A\), and the natural linear map \(C\otimes E\rightarrow A\), \(a\otimes x\mapsto ax\), is an isomorphism of algebras. In particular, \(A\) is alternative.