A new view of generalized Clifford algebras (Q2422696)

Here, a generalized Clifford algebra in this context (not to be confused with the Clifford algebra of a general homogeneous form as studied by Haile and others) is the associative algebra generated over a field $\mathbb{K}$ by a finite set of generators $x_1,\dots,x_m$ satisfying $x_i x_j=\omega x_j x_i$ for all $j < i$ and $x_i^n=a_i$ for some prescribed positive integers $m,n$ and $a_i \in \mathbb{K} \setminus 0$ for all $i \in \{1,\dots,m\}$, with $\omega$ being the primitive $n$-th root of unity (assumed to be in $\mathbb{K}$). \par A first observation is that the above Clifford algebra is also the twisted group ring $\mathbb{K}_F[\mathbb{Z}_n^m]$, where $\mathbb{Z}_n$ is identified with the subgroup $\langle \omega \rangle$ of $\mathbb{K}$, and $F$ is the 2-cochain defined by \[ F(g,h)=\omega^d a_1^{\lfloor \frac{g_1+h_1}{n}\rfloor} \cdot \dots \cdot a_m^{\lfloor \frac{g_m+h_m}{n}\rfloor}, \] where $d=\sum_{i>j} g_i h_j$. Note that here $\mathbb{Z}_n$ stands for $\mathbb{Z}/n\mathbb{Z}$ and not for the $n$-adic integers. \par The authors extend generalized Clifford algebras to a more general family of algebras obtained by plugging in different symmetry groups and different 2-cochains. They prove certain elementary properties of these objects.