Augmented quasigroups and character algebras (Q2295465)

The paper addresses generalizations of the character theory of abelian groups. It is well-known that there is a duality between an abelian group \(G\) and its character group \(G^*=\mathrm{Hom}(G,\mathbb{C})\) which is exploited in harmonic analysis. For a non-abelian group there have been diverse attempts to generalize this relationship but it has proved difficult to obtain a satisfactory theory. The paper provides an intricate exposition of the algebra, combinatorics and category theory behind the discussion of duality. In the case of groups, duality can be approached by considering the association scheme which arises from the group acting on itself by left and right multiplication. A more general point of view is obtained by considering a quasigroup \(Q\) (where neither associativity nor identity element may be present) but where an association scheme can be produced with a character theory which in the case where \(Q\) is a group coincides with the usual characters. Not all association schemes can arise in the more general context. The paper states three main goals: firstly to show every association scheme lifts to a quasigroup, secondly to find an analogue for the character group in the case of an arbitrary finite group and thirdly to ``bring order into the abundance of diferent algebras that appear in algebraic combinatorics''. Two such algebras are character algebras and fusion algebras. Salient results are (a) that every association scheme may be obtained by collapsing a quasigroup multiplication, (b) that for each finite group \(G\) character quasigroups can be constructed which encode the multiplicative structure of the characters of \(G\) (in the case where \(G\) is abelian \(G^*\) is its unique character group) and (c) a fusion algebra and a character algebra each give rise to an augmented quasigroup. The following concepts appear, in the context of compact closed categories: augmented comagmas, augmented magmas and augmented quasigroups. Augmented magmas are motivated by the example of the group algebra of a finite group. It is shown that magmas and their set-valued analogues hypermagmas appear as augmented magmas in the compact closed category \textbf{Rel} of relations on sets. The theory is illustrated using the category of finite dimensional vector spaces over a finite field as well as \textbf{Rel}. Other structures which appear are weighted magmas and hypermagmas (here the binary relation on a set \(A\) takes values in the power set of \(A\)). It is shown that association schemes are augmented magmas. The example of the character quasigroups associated to the symmetric group \(S_3\) is given: these are the cyclic group \(C_6\) and intercalates of its multiplication table. An appendix explains ideas going back to Baer expressing quasigroups as ``quotients'' of groups. The paper is a valuable contribution in that it brings in a subtle blend of results from a wide range of contexts.