Finite groups acting linearly: Hochschild cohomology and the cup product. (Q626099)

Let \(V\) be a \(\mathbb C\)-vector space and let \(G\) be a group acting \(\mathbb C\)-linearly on \(V\). Then \(G\) acts on the symmetric algebra \(S(V)\) of \(V\) in a natural way and therefore \(G\) acts also on the Hochschild cohomology ring of \(S(V)\). If \(G\) acts on a \(\mathbb C\)-algebra \(R\) one may form the smash product, which is the tensor product of \(R\) with the complex group algebra, and multiplication is done by letting act the group elements of the left factor on the algebra element of the right factor: \((a\otimes g)\cdot(b\otimes h):=(a\cdot g(b))\otimes gh\) for all \(a,b\in R\) and \(g,h\in G\). The main result of the paper compares the smash product of the Hochschild cohomology ring of \(S(V)\) with the Hochschild cohomology ring of the smash product of \(S(V)\) with \(G\). More precisely, the paper under review shows in particular that the cohomology of \(S(V)\) with values in the smash product of \(S(V)\) with \(G\) is isomorphic as algebra with an explicitly described algebra subquotient of the smash product of the Hochschild cohomology algebra of \(S(V)\) with \(G\). The Hochschild cohomology of the smash product algebra is the \(G\)-invariant subalgebra. -- Applications to reflection groups are given.