Hodge duality operators on left-covariant exterior algebras over two- and three-dimensional quantum spheres (Q2846895)

Following the formalism developed by Woronowicz, various aspects of the differential geometry induced on a large class of quantum groups equipped with suitable bicovariant differential first order calculi have been intensively studied. A somehow reversed strategy for the specific example of the quantum \(\text{SU}_q(2)\) group is given by the author himself [J. Geom. Phys. 62, No. 7, 1732--1746 (2012; Zbl 1271.81083)]. In this approach the bicovariance of the calculus seems to play no explicit role, and this suggests that it is possible to study the problem of defining Hodge duality operators even on exterior algebras built over left-covariant calculi on quantum groups, provided they have a consistent -- although not canonical -- braiding.NEWLINENEWLINEUsing non-canonical braidings, the paper under review introduces a notion of symmetric tensors and corresponding Hodge operators on a class of left-covariant 3d differential calculi over \(\text{SU}_q(2)\). To be more precise, the author first describes in a nice way the geometrical setting of the analysis, i.e., those aspects of differential calculi and exterior algebras over classical and quantum group he intends to use, and presents the class (denoted by \(K\)) of differential calculi over the quantum \(\text{SU}_q(2)\) of particular interest. Once this is done, he deals with the question of how to suitably translate the classical situation into a noncommutative setting towards the introduction of a notion of Hodge duality operators and of symmetric contractions on the exterior algebras. In fact, starting from a tensor whose coefficients give contraction maps, Section 3 of the paper presents families of scalar products and corresponding dual Hodge operators. The example of the Woronowicz' calculus is used as a guide, and the results are then extended to the whole class \(K\) of calculi. Finally, in Section 4, the author induces Hodge operators on the left covariant 2d exterior algebra over the quantum 2-sphere.