Existence of pseudo-superinvolutions of the first kind. (Q938479)

An involution of the first kind on a central simple algebra over a field \(K\) is a \(K\)-linear anti-automorphism \(\sigma\) such that \(\sigma^2=I\). A classical theorem of Albert shows that a central simple \(K\)-algebra carries an involution of the first kind if and only if its image in the Brauer group of \(K\) is \(2\)-torsion. The paper under review studies the analogue of this property for superalgebras, i.e. for \((\mathbb{Z}/2)\)-graded algebras. A pseudo-superinvolution on a superalgebra \(A=A_0\oplus A_1\) is a graded linear map \(*\colon A\to A\) such that \((xy)^*=(-1)^{\deg x\deg y}y^*x^*\) and \(x^{**}=(-1)^{\deg x}x\) for all homogeneous elements \(x,y\in A\). If \(D\) is a central division superalgebra over a field \(K\) of characteristic different from~\(2\), which means that every nonzero homogeneous element is invertible and \(K\) is the even subalgebra of the center of \(D\), then the author shows that the matrix algebra \(M_n(D)\) carries a \(K\)-linear pseudo-superinvolution if and only if \(D\) has a \(K\)-linear pseudo-superinvolution. Moreover, when the center of \(D\) is \(K\), this condition holds if and only if the image of \(D\) in the Brauer-Wall group of \(K\) is \(2\)-torsion. Otherwise, it holds if and only if \(K\) contains \(\sqrt{-1}\) and the image of \(D\) in the Brauer-Wall group of \(K\) is \(2\)-torsion. These results were also obtained by \textit{A. Elduque} and \textit{O. Villa} [J. Algebra 319, No. 10, 4338-4359 (2008; Zbl 1149.16030)].