Norms and noncommutative Jordan algebras (Q2522282)

The author defines \(Q\) to be a form on a vector spare \(X\) if \(Q\) is a homogeneous polynomial function on \(X\). For any rational mapping \(F\) from a space \(X_1\) into \(X_2\) let \(\partial F\) denote the differential of \(F\) and \(\partial F\,|_x\), the differential at \(x \in X_1\). Now \(\partial F\,|_x\) is a linear map and \(\partial_u F\,|_x\) denotes its value at \(u\). lf \(A\) is an algebra on \(X\) with identity \(c\) the form \(Q\) admits composition on \(A\) if there are two rational mappings \(E: x\to E_x\), \(F: x\to F_x\) of \(X\) into \(\Hom(X, X)\) such that (a) \(E_c=F_c = I\); (b) \(\partial_u E|_c =\alpha L_u\), \(\partial_u F|_c =\beta R_u\), for \(0\neq \alpha,\beta\in\Phi\) (base field) where \(L_u\), \(R_u\) are left and right multiplications by \(u\in A\); (c) \(Q(E_xy)= e(x) Q(y)\), \(Q(F_xy) = f(x) Q(y)\) for some rational functions \(e, f\) on \(X\) wherever all mappings involved are defined. A norm on an algebra \(A\) is a nondegenerate form \(Q\) admitting composition on \(A\) where \(Q\) is nondegenerate if \(-\partial_u\partial_v \log Q|\) is a nondegenerate bilinear form. (The logarithmic derivative \(\partial_u \log F = F^{-1} \partial_uF\) is well defined even if \(\log F\) is not.) The forms \(Q(xy) =Q(x) Q(y)\) and \(Q(U_x y) = (Q(x) )^2 Q(y)\) where \(U_x=2L_x^2- L_{x^2}\) become special spaces. This paper extends the known results by proving that any normal algebra \(A\) is a separable noncommutative Jordan algebra with \(A'\) a separable Jordan algebra and the norm is a product of irreducible factors of the generic norm. As a consequence the author obtains simple proofs of Schafer's results on forms admitting associative composition and extends his results an forms admitting Jordan composition to forms of arbitrary degree \(q\). Some results of M. Koecher on algebras associated with \(\omega\)-domains are obtained as are simple proofs of N. Jacobson's theory of inverses. The basic tool is the differential calculus for rational mappings on one vector space into another.