Co-Frobenius coalgebras. (Q2509249)

A coalgebra \(C\) over a field \(K\) is called right co-Frobenius if there exists a right \(C^*\)-linear monomorphism \(C\to C^*\). This notion is not left-right symmetric. In this note, coalgebras that are at the same time left and right co-Frobenius are characterized. These characterizations are the following: 1) the rational part of \(C^*\) as a left (or right) \(C^*\)-module is isomorphic to \(C\); 2) the functors \((-)^*\) and \(\Hom_{C^*}(-,C^*)\) from right (or left) \(C\)-comodules to right (or left) \(C^*\)-modules are naturally equivalent; 3) there is a left and right non-degenerate bilinear form \(C\times C\to K\) which is \(C^*\)-balanced, which means that \((c\cdot h^*,d)=(c,h^*\cdot d)\), for all \(c,d\in C\) and \(h^*\in C^*\). These properties have the advantage that they are perfectly dual to analogous properties for Frobenius algebras.