Locally nilpotent derivations of free algebra of rank two (Q2280430)

A \textit{derivation} of a \(K\)-algebra \(A\) is a \(K\)-linear map \(\delta:A\to A\) such that \(\delta(ab)=\delta(a)b+a\delta(b)\) for all \(a,b\in A\). The kernel (also called \textit{the algebra of constants}) of \(\delta\) is denoted by \(A^\delta\). A derivation \(\delta\) is said to be \textit{locally nilpotent} if for any \(a\in A\) there exists a positive integer \(n\) (depending on \(a\)) such that \(\delta^n(a)=0\). The authors prove that two non-zero locally nilpotent derivations \(\Delta_1\) and \(\Delta_2\) of the free associative algebra \(K\langle X,Y\rangle\) have the same algebras of constants if and only if \(\Delta_2 = \alpha \Delta_1\) for some \(\alpha \in K^*\). They also prove that the algebra of constants \(K\langle X,Y\rangle^\Delta\) of a locally nilpotent derivation \(\Delta\) of \(K\langle X,Y\rangle\) is a free algebra and describe its free generators.