ON THE FIXED POINTS OF A FINITE GROUP ACTING ON A RELATIVELY FREE LIE ALGEBRA (Q4493384)

The authors study the problem for finite generation of the algebra of fixed points of a finite group of automorphisms of free and relatively free Lie algebras over a field of any characteristic. The main results state that if the acting group has more than one element, the Lie algebra is not nilpotent and has at least two generators, then the algebra of fixed points is not finitely generated in the important cases of free and free metabelian Lie algebras. In the general case the authors require the mild restcriction that the group acts faithfully modulo the commutator ideal. Up till now such results have been obtained by the first author [\textit{R. M. Bryant}, J. Lond. Math. Soc. (2) 43, 215-224 (1991; Zbl 0685.20004)] for the free Lie algebra under the condition that the group consists of graded (i.e. linear) automorphisms and by the reviewer [\textit{V. Drensky}, Proc. Am. Math. Soc. 120, No. 4, 1021-1028 (1994; Zbl 0801.17020)] under the restriction that the order of the group is invertible in the base field. Here the result is established in the most general setup. For the proof the authors develop an interesting combinatorial technique which is of independent interest.