On the Hochschild cohomology ring of tensor products of algebras. (Q2439309)

Let \(k\) be a field and let \(A\) and \(B\) be \(k\)-algebras. A Gerstenhaber algebra is a very rich structure, consisting of at once a graded commutative algebra structure, and a graded Lie algebra structure, together with a compatibility of these structures. Hochschild cohomology \(HH^*(A)\) of an algebra \(A\) is a Gerstenhaber algebra. If there is a degree \(-1\) self map \(\Delta\) of square \(0\) such that the Lie bracket of a Gerstenhaber algebra is obtained as the obstruction of \(\Delta\) to be a graded derivation, then the Gerstenhaber algebra is called a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra. An algebra \(A\) is symmetric if \(A\) is isomorphic to its \(k\)-linear dual as \(A\)-\(A\)-bimodules. Tradler and Menichi showed independently that if \(A\) is a symmetric algebra, then its Hochschild cohomology is a Batalin-Vilkovisky algebra. It is well-known that \(HH^*(A\otimes_kB)=H^*(A)\otimes_kH^*(B)\) as graded commutative algebras. The authors prove in this paper that if \(A\) is finite-dimensional, then \(HH^*(A\otimes_kB)=H^*(A)\otimes_kH^*(B)\) as Gerstenhaber algebras. Moreover, the authors prove that if \(A\) and \(B\) are symmetric algebras, then \(HH^*(A\otimes_kB)=H^*(A)\otimes_kH^*(B)\) as Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras with a standard Batalin-Vilkovisky structure obtained for the tensor product of Batalin-Vilkovisky algebras. Their proof is explicit enough to be able to compute the map \(\Delta\) for the tensor product. They give the formula for an abelian group ring as example.