Trace cocharacters of direct sums and tensor products (Q4395740)

Let \(A\) and \(B\) be two PI algebras over a field of characteristic 0, and denote by \(\chi_n(A)=\sum m_\lambda\chi^\lambda\) the \(n\)-th cocharacter of \(A\) where the right hand sum is over some partitions \(\lambda\) of \(n\), and \(\chi^\lambda\) are the corresponding \(S_n\) characters, with multiplicities \(m_\lambda\). The inequality \(\chi_n(A)\leq\chi_n(B)\) means that if \(\chi_n(B)=\sum k_\lambda\chi^\lambda\), then \(m_\lambda\leq k_\lambda\) for every \(\lambda\). Analogously one defines such inequalities in the case of trace cocharacters (pure or mixed). The author provides several universal constructions that lead to various upper bounds for the cocharacters, and the pure and mixed trace cocharacters, for the direct sum and the tensor product of two PI algebras \(A\) and \(B\). It is shown that \(\chi_n(A\oplus B)\leq\chi_n(A)+\chi_n(B)\) in the case of ordinary cocharacters. An upper bound for the mixed trace cocharacters, in terms of the pure trace and the ordinary cocharacters is obtained, as well as an upper bound for the pure trace cocharacters of \(A\oplus B\). Another upper bound (more complicated) is obtained in case of mixed trace cocharacters. Finally it is shown that the behaviour of the pure and the mixed trace cocharacters is similar to that of the ordinary ones with respect to the tensor product of \(A\) and \(B\) [cf. \textit{A. Regev}, J. Algebra 66, 505-510 (1980; Zbl 0445.16012)]. It is worth mentioning that the author has found also a basis of the trace identities for the algebras \(D_a\oplus T_b\) where \(D_a\) stands for the diagonal matrices of order \(a\), and \(T_b\) for the upper-triangular matrices of order \(b\). As a corollary, it is obtained that \(T_a\oplus T_b\) and \(D_a\oplus T_b\) satisfy the same trace identities.