Deformations of the exterior algebra of differential forms (Q330642)

Let \(\Omega = \bigoplus_{r\geq 0}\Omega^{r}\) be the algebra of differential forms of a polynomial ring \(S = \mathbb{C}[x_{1},\dots, x_{n}]\) over \(\mathbb{C}\) (\(\Omega^{r}\) denotes the module of \(r\)-differential forms). The paper under review defines deformations of the exterior algebra \(\Omega\) over \(S\) and gives a condition under which the resulting modules are finitely generated. Then the author presents a classification of a distinguished class of differential operators that allow a linearized structure considered in the definition of the deformations. This classification exploits the decomposition of a differential operator in terms of a linear map plus a derivation which, in turn, can be decomposed as the Lie derivative plus contraction with respect to vector valued differential forms. The last part of the paper contains two examples of differential operators, which allow the defined linearized structures, and the deformations that they induce.