Basic superranks for varieties of algebras (Q515588)

In the paper under review the authors consider varieties of (nonassociative) algebras \(\mathcal V\) over a field of characteristic 0. The basic rank \(r=r_b({\mathcal V})\) of \(\mathcal V\) is the minimal positive integer with the property that \(\mathcal V\) is generated by the free \(\mathcal V\)-algebra of rank \(r\). It is known that the basic rank of the varieties of associative and Lie algebras, and the variety generated by the special Jordan algebras is equal to 2. For alternative and Malcev algebras the basic rank is infinite. The basic rank of the varieties of Jordan and right alternative algebras is still unknown. A key moment in the structure theory of T-ideals of the free associative algebra discovered by \textit{A. R. Kemer} [Ideals of identities of associative algebras. Providence, RI: AMS (1991; Zbl 0732.16001)] is the fact that any proper subvariety of the variety of associative algebras is generated by the Grassmann envelope \(\text{G}({\mathcal A})=\text{G}_0\otimes{\mathcal A}_0+\text{G}_1\otimes{\mathcal A}_1\) of a finite dimensional superalgebra \({\mathcal A}={\mathcal A}_0+{\mathcal A}_1\), where \(\text{G}=\text{G}_0+\text{G}_1\) is the infinite dimensional Grassmann algebra with its canonical \({\mathbb Z}_2\)-grading. Given a basis of the polynomial identities of \(\mathcal V\), there is a procedure which gives a system of polynomial superidentities which guarantees that \(\text{G}({\mathcal A})\) belongs to \(\mathcal V\). Hence one can speak about free \(\mathcal V\)-superalgebras. The theory of Kemer has inspired the idea of the paper under review to introduce the basic superrank of \(\mathcal V\). This is a minimal pair \((r,s)\) such that \(\mathcal V\) is generated the the free \(\mathcal V\)-superalgebra on \(r\) even and \(s\) odd generators. The (finite) set \(\text{sp}_b({\mathcal V})\) of all basic superranks of \(\mathcal V\) is called the basic spectrum of \(\mathcal V\). For example, the basic spectrum of the varieties of associative and Lie algebras is equal to \(\{(2,0),(1,1),(0,2)\}\). Clearly, at least for varieties of associative algebras, the basic superrank is more refined that the basic rank and may be used to distinguish varieties with infinite basic rank. In the paper under review, the authors compute the basic superrank for metabelian varieties (satisfying the identity \((x_1x_2)(x_3x_4)=0\)) of several classes of nonassociative algebras. The basic spectra are \(\{(1,1),(0,3)\}\) for alternative algebras, \(\{(0,2)\}\) for Jordan algebras, \(\{(1,1)\}\) for Malcev algebras. The basic superrank of the variety of all metabelian algebras is infinite. Other examples of varieties of algebras close to associative with infinite basic superank are also constructed. A list of open problems completes the paper.