Trialitarian automorphisms of Lie algebras. With an appendix by Knus and Larissa Cadorin. (Q733661)

The outer automorphisms of a finite-dimensional simple Lie algebra over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero depend on the symmetry of the Dynkin diagram. The most symmetric of these diagrams is the diagram for type \(D_4\), and only for this type there are outer automorphisms of order \(3\). Actually, an orthogonal Lie algebra of type \(D_4\) over a field of characteristic zero admits outer automorphisms of order \(3\) if and only if it is the orthogonal Lie algebra relative to the quadratic norm form of a Cayley algebra. A very nice proof of this fact is given in the paper under review. Over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero there are two conjugacy classes of outer automorphisms of order \(3\) (see, for instance, chapter 8 of the monograph by [\textit{V. G. Kac}, Infinite dimensional Lie algebras. 2nd ed. Cambridge etc.: Cambridge University Press. (1985; Zbl 0574.17010)]). The fixed point subalgebra by an automorphism of the first class is the simple Lie algebra of type \(G_2\), and these automorphisms are related to the classical principle of local triality and Cayley algebras, while the fixed point subalgebra by an automorphism of the second class is the simple Lie algebra of type \(A_2\). Therefore, over arbitrary ground fields of characteristic zero there are two types of outer automorphisms of order \(3\) for simple Lie algebras of type \(D_4\). Both types can be dealt with in terms of the triality principle for the so called \textit{symmetric composition algebras} (see the monograph by [\textit{M.-A. Knus, A. Merkurjev, M. Rost} and \textit{J.-P. Tignol}, The Book of Involutions. Colloquium Publications. American Mathematical Society (AMS). 44. Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society (AMS) (1998; Zbl 0955.16001)]). The main result of the paper under review classifies the conjugacy classes of outer automorphisms of order \(3\) of the orthogonal Lie algebra relative to a given norm form by the set consisting of the isomorphism class of the corresponding Cayley algebra (type \(G_2\)) and the isomorphism classes of central simple algebras of degree \(3\) with specific involutions of the second kind over the field extension generated by a cubic root of unity (type \(A_2\)). For example, over the field of real numbers there are exactly two conjugacy classes of outer automorphisms of order \(3\) for both the identity norm form and the hyperbolic norm form.