On the structure theorem for quasi-Hopf bimodules (Q513902)

A well-known result in Hopf algebras is that every Hopf module \(M\) for a Hopf algebra \(H\) is of the form \(M^{(\mathrm{co})}\) tensor \(H\), \(M^{(\mathrm{co})}\) the space of coinvariant elements of \(M\). The author extends this result to quasi-bialgebras with a preantipode. A quasi-bialgebra \(A\) has an associative multiplication and a comultiplication which is only coassociative up to conjugation by an invertible element \(P\) in the triple tensor product of \(A\). The element \(P=P^1\) tensor \(P^2\) tensor \(P^3\) is called the reassociator. A preantipode for \(A\) is a linear map of \(S\) of \(A\) to \(A\) satisfying two ``antipode-like'' conditions plus \((P^1)(S(P^2))(P^3)=1\). Such an \(S\) (if it exists) is unique (Theorem 5). The author defines a (right) quasi-Hopf bimodule \(M\), and gives the relation of the category of (right) \(A\)-quasi-Hopf bimodules to the category of (left) \(A\)-modules. For a quasi-bialgebra \(A\) with preantipode \(S\) and quasi-Hopf bimodule \(M\), he defines the space \(M^{(\mathrm{co})}\) of coinvariants as \(t(M)\), where \(t(m)=(P^1)(m_0)(S(P^2)(m_1))(P^3)\), where \(m_0\) tensor \(m_1\) indicates the comodule (co)action on \(M\). A quasi-bialgebra \(A\) is called a quasi-Hopf algebra if \(A\) has elements \(a\) and \(b\) and endomorphism \(s\) satisfying various conditions. \((s,a,b)\) is called \(q\) quasi-antipode, but is unique only up to some invertibility conditions. The author proves that every quasi-Hopf algebra has a preantipode (Theorem 6). The structure theorem of the title (Theorem 3) says that for a quasi-bialgebra \(A\), four conditions are equivalent. One is that \(A\) has a preantipode, and another is that for every quasi-Hopf bimodule \(M\), the map \(t\) (as defined above) satisfies certain properties. It is explained why this can be considered as a generalization of the theorem for Hopf modules stated in the first sentence of this review (Remark 9).