Universal enveloping of a graded Lie algebra (Q6173919)

If \(G\) is an abelian group and \(L\) is a \(G\)-graded Lie algebra, then the universal enveloping algebra \(U(L)\) is naturally \(G\)-graded. However, this is not so, in general, if \(G\) fails to be abelian. To begin with, if \(A\) is a \(G\)-graded associative algebra, the associated Lie algebra \(A^{(-)}\), with Lie bracket \([x,y]=xy-yx\), fails in general to inherit the \(G\)-grading on \(A\). \par In the paper under review, given a not necessarily abelian group \(G\) and a \(G\)-graded Lie algebra, a `\(G\)-graded universal enveloping algebra' \(U_L(G)\) and a `strong \(G\)-graded universal enveloping algebra' \(SU_G(L)\) are constructed, where \(L\) is a \(G\)-graded subspace of both \(U_G(L)\) and \(SU_G(L)\) that generates them as algebras, \(L\) is an ungraded subalgebra of \(U_G(L)^{(-)}\), \(SU_G(L)^{(-)}\) inherits the \(G\)-grading on \(SU_G(L)\), and \(L\) is a graded subalgebra of \(SU_G(L)^{(-)}\). It must be remarked that \(U_G(L)\) is a quotient of \(U(L)\), and \(SU_G(L)\) is a quotient of \(U_G(L)\). Moreover, a Poincaré-Birkhoff-Witt type theorem is proved for \(SU_G(L)\). \par These results are used to prove a graded version of Witt's Theorem: for the free \(G\)-graded Lie algebra on a set of homogeneous generators, the strong \(G\)-graded universal enveloping algebra \(SU_G(L)\) is the free associative \(G\)-graded associative algebra on these generators in a suitable variety. They are also used to prove a graded version of the well known Ado's Theorem. Finally, some conjectures on the question (posed by Ivan Shestakov) on whether any \(G\)-grading on a Lie algebra is equivalent to a grading by an abelian group are stated too.