The asymmetry of an anti-automorphism (Q5957767)

Let \(b\) be a nonsingular pairing on a finite dimensional vector space \(V\) over a field \(F\). In the paper the authors prove that there exist unique maps \(\sigma_b: \operatorname {End}V\rightarrow \operatorname{End}V\) and \(a_b: V\rightarrow V\) such that \(b(f(x),y)=b(x,\sigma_b(f)(y))\) and \(b(x,y)=b(y,a_b(x))\) for all \(x,y \in V, f\in \operatorname{End}V.\) The map \(\sigma_b\) is a linear anti-automorphism and is called an anti-automorphism adjoint to \(b\). The map \(a_b\) is linear and invertible. It is called the asymmetry of \(b\). The authors characterize those maps \(a\in \text{GL}(V)\) for which there exists a pairing \(b\) such that \(a=a_b\). The notion of asymmetry is generalized for an arbitrary anti-automorphism on a central simple algebra, and it is proved that if the exponent of the algebra \(A\) is 2, then a unit of \(A\) is the asymmetry of some anti-automorphism of \(A\) if and only if it is conjugate to its inverse. In the final section of the paper the asymmetry is used to define the determinant of an anti-automorphism.