No label defined (Q4667319)

Let \((B,*)\) be an algebra over a field \(F\) of characteristic \(\neq 2,3\) containing a cubic root \(\omega\) of \(1\), endowed with a quadratic form \(S\) such that \((x*y)*x=x*(y*x)=S(x)y\) for any \(x,y\). Then \textit{A. Elduque} and \textit{H. C. Myung} [Commun. Algebra 21, No. 7, 2481--2505 (1993; Zbl 0781.17002)] showed that the vector space \(A=F1\oplus B\), with the product given by \(1x=x1=x\) for any \(x\in A\), and \(ab=-{2S(a,b)\over 3} 1+{1\over 3}\bigl((\omega^2-1)a*b-(\omega -1)b*a\bigr)\) for any \(a,b\in B\), becomes an alternative algebra, which has degree \(3\) if there are elements \(c\) in \(B\) such that \(c*c\) is not a scalar multiple of \(c\). This was the clue to classifying the so called \textit{symmetric composition algebras}. In case the ground field does not contain the cubic roots of \(1\), an alternative algebra with an involution of the second kind is obtained on the vector space \(A=F[\omega]\otimes_F(F1\oplus B)\). The paper under review is devoted to prove that in the situation above, the alternative algebra \(A\) thus obtained is associative if and only if for any \(a,b,c\in B\), \((a,b,c)^*=(a,c,b)^*+(b,a,c)^*\), where \((a,b,c)^*=(a*b)*c-a*(b*c)\) is the associator in \((B,*)\). Reviewer's remark: Under the flexible law: \((a*b)*a=a*(b*a)\), the above condition on the associators is equivalent to the algebra \((B,*)\) being Lie-admissible. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1057.53003].