Generalized Jordan algebras (Q869945)

The paper under review deals with certain generalizations of Jordan algebras over a field \(F\) of characteristic different from 2 and 3. These generalizations are commutative (but, of course not necessarily associative). Fix the scalars \(t\), \(\beta\), \(\gamma\in F\), and consider the nonassociative polynomials \[ f_1 = ((xx)y)x + t((xx)x)y, \] \[ f_2 = ((xx)x)(yx) - (((xx)x)y)x, \] \[ f_3 = \beta ((xx)y)x + \gamma ((xx)x)y - (\beta+\gamma)((yx)x)x. \] It is easy to see that whenever \(t\neq -1\), the identity \(f_1=0\) implies \(f_4=((xx)x)x = 0\). If \(\beta=3\), \(\gamma=-1\), \(f_3\) turns out to be the almost Jordan identity \(3((xx)y)x - 2 ((yx)x)x - ((xx)x)y\) which is quite important in the study of generalizations of Jordan algebras. Recall that \(f_2=0\) is the 3-Jordan identity. The authors prove the following main results. First they show that a commutative algebra \(A\) satisfying the identity \(f_1=0\) with \(t\neq \pm 1\) must be 3-Jordan, that is, it must satisfy the identity \(f_2=0\). Also, if \(A\) is commutative and satisfies \(f_1=0\) then it satisfies \(f_3=0\) whenever \(\beta = 3-t\) and \(\gamma = 3t-1\). A partial converse holds: if \(A\) satisfies \(f_3=0\) and \(f_4=0\) then \(A\) satisfies \(f_1=0\) with \(t=(\beta+3\gamma)/(3\beta+\gamma)\), provided that \(3\beta+\gamma\neq 0\). Finally the authors show, by means of examples, that their results are the best possible.