Geometry of 2×2 Hermitian matrices II

Let Z be a field of characteristic ≠2, D be a quaternion division algebra over Z and have a nonstandard involution of the first kind. The fundamental theorem of geometry of 2× 2 Hermitian matrices over D are proved. Thus, if D is a quaternion division algebra over Z with an involution of the first kind, then the fundamental theorem of geometry of 2× 2 Hermitian matrices over D are obtained.     

特征2的除环上Hermitian矩阵几何

设D 是带对合的除环. 当char(D) ≠ 2 时, D 上Hermitian 矩阵几何的基本定理最近已经证明.作者进一步证明了特征2 的带对合的除环上Hermitian 矩阵几何的基本定理, 从而得到任意带对合的除环上Hermitian 矩阵几何的基本定理.     

Identities in algebras with involution

One of the main features of the theory of polynomial identities is the existence (for anyn) of a division algebra of degreen, formed by adjoining quotients of central elements of the algebra of genericn×n matrices; this division algebra is extremely interesting and has been used by Amitsur (forn divisible by either 8 or the square of an odd prime) as an example of a non-crossed product central division algebra. The main object of this paper is to obtain, in a parallel method, division algebras with involution of the first kind, knowledge of which would answer some long-standing questions in the theory of division algebras with involution. One such question is, “Is every division algebra with involution of the first kind a tensor product of quaternion division algebras?” In the process, a theory of (polynomial) identities in algebras with involution is developed with emphasis on prime PI-algebras with involution.     

Commuting pairs and triples of matrices and related varieties

In this note, we show that the set of all commuting d-tuples of commuting n×n matrices that are contained in an n-dimensional commutative algebra is a closed set, and therefore, Gerstenhaber's theorem on commuting pairs of matrices is a consequence of the irreduciblity of the variety of commuting pairs. We show that the variety of commuting triples of 4×4 matrices is irreducible. We also study the variety of n-dimensional commutative subalgebras of M_n(F), and show that it is irreducible of dimension n²−n for n4, but reducible, of dimension greater than n²−n for n7.     

Poincaré series of semi-invariants of 2×2 matrices

The Poincaré series of the algebra of -invariants of m-tuples of 2×2 matrices is presented both as a rational function and as a series of Schur functions. We show that this algebra of invariants is generated by the determinants, the mixed discriminants and the discriminants of 2×2 matrices. Consequences on invariants of three-dimensional matrices of the shape 2×2×m are discussed. For arbitrary n2, we prove an explicit functional equation for the Poincaré series of the -invariants of m-tuples of n×n matrices.     

Division algebras of degree 4 and 8 with involution

We develop necessary and sufficient conditions for central simple algebras to have involutions of the first kind, and to be tensor products of quaternion subalgebras. The theory is then applied to give an example of a division algebra of degree 8 with involution (of the first kind), without quaternion subalgebras, answering an old question of Albert; another example is a division algebra of degree 4 with involution (*) has no (*)-invariant quaternion subalgebras. The research of the second author is supported by the Anshel Pfeffer Chair. The third author would like to express his gratitude to Professor J. Tits for many stimulating conversations.     

Involutions on composition algebras

Involutions on composition algebras over rings where 2 is invertible are investigated. It is proved that there is a one-one correspondence between non-standard involutions of the first kind, and composition subalgebras of half rank. Every non-standard involution of the first kind is isomorphic to the natural generalization of Lewis's hat-involution [L]. Any involution of the second kind on a composition algebra C over a quadratic etale R-algebra S can be written as the tensor product of the standard involution of a unique R-composition subalgebra of C and the standard involution of S/R. The latter generalizes a well-known theorem of Albert on quaternion algebras with unitary involutions.     

Mappings preserving spectrum and commutativity on Hermitian matrices

The general form of a continuous mapping φ acting on the real vector space of all n × n complex Hermitian or real symmetric matrices, and preserving spectrum and commutativity, is derived. It turns out that φ is either linear or its image forms a commutative set.     

Involutions for upper triangular matrix algebras

In this paper we describe completely the involutions of the first kind of the algebra UT_n(F) of n×n upper triangular matrices. Every such involution can be extended uniquely to an involution on the full matrix algebra. We describe the equivalence classes of involutions on the upper triangular matrices. There are two distinct classes for UT_n(F) when n is even and a single class in the odd case.Furthermore we consider the algebra UT₂(F) of the 2×2 upper triangular matrices over an infinite field F of characteristic different from 2. For every involution *, we describe the *-polynomial identities for this algebra. We exhibit bases of the corresponding ideals of identities with involution, and compute the Hilbert (or Poincaré) series and the codimension sequences of the respective relatively free algebras.Then we consider the *-polynomial identities for the algebra UT₃(F) over a field of characteristic zero. We describe a finite generating set of the ideal of *-identities for this algebra. These generators are quite a few, and their degrees are relatively large. It seems to us that the problem of describing the *-identities for the algebra UT_n(F) of the n×n upper triangular matrices may be much more complicated than in the case of ordinary polynomial identities.     

Geometry of 2×2 Hermitian matrices over any division ring

Let D be a division ring with an involution-,H2(D) be the set of 2 × 2 Hermitian matrices over D. Let ad(A,B) = rank(A-B) be the arithmetic distance between A,B ∈ H2(D) . In this paper,the fundamental theorem of the geometry of 2 × 2 Hermitian matrices over D(char(D) = 2) is proved:if  :H2(D) → H2(D) is the adjacency preserving bijective map,then  is of the form (X) = tP XσP +(0) ,where P ∈ GL2(D) ,σ is a quasi-automorphism of D. The quasi-automorphism of D is studied,and further results are obtained.     

Quadratic descent of hermitian forms

Quadratic descent of hermitian and skew hermitian forms over division algebras with involution of the first kind in arbitrary characteristic is investigated and a criterion, in terms of systems of quadratic forms, is obtained. A refined result is also obtained for hermitian (resp. skew hermitian) forms over a quaternion algebra with symplectic (resp. orthogonal) involution.     

Algebras with involution that become hyperbolic over the function field of a conic

We study central simple algebras with involution of the first kind that become hyperbolic over the function field of the conic associated to a given quaternion algebra Q. We classify these algebras in degree 4 and give an example of such a division algebra with orthogonal involution of degree 8 that does not contain (Q,⁻), even though it contains Q and is totally decomposable into a tensor product of quaternion algebras.     

Geometry of 2×2 hermitian matrices

Let D be a division ring which possesses an involution a→ā. Assume that F = {a∈D|a=ā} is a proper subfield of D and is contained in the center of D. It is pointed out that if D is of characteristic not two, D is either a separable quadratic extension of F or a division ring of generalized quaternions over F and that if D is of characteristic two, D is a separable quadratic extension of F. Thus the trace map Tr: D→F,hermitian matrices over D when n≥3 and now can be deleted. When D is a field, the fundamental theorem of 2×2 hermitian matrices over D has already been proved. This paper proves the fundamental theorem of 2×2 hermitian matrices over any division ring of generalized quaternions of characteristic not two.     

Between d-stability and sign-stability: the 3 × 3 case

[2] introduced a decreasing sequence of sets of real n × n matrices, which begins with the D-stable matrices and stops at the sign-stable matrices. It is not clear how many of the n sets in the sequence are distinct. This article documents the disappointment that in the first case where the sequence could contain a set which is neither the D-stable matrices nor the sign-stable matrices(viz., the case n = 3) it doesn't.     

Alternative proofs of a theorem of Moyls and Marcus on the numerical range of a square matrix

Moyls and Marcus [4] showed that for n≤4,n×n an complex matrix A is normal if and only if the numerical range of A is the convex hull of the eigenvalues of A. When n≥5, there exist matrices which are not normal, but such that the numerical range is still the convex hull of the eigenvalues. Two alternative proofs of this fact are given. One proof uses the known structure of the numerical range of a 2×2 matrix. The other relies on a theorem of Motzkin and Taussky stating that a pair of Hermitian matrices with property L must commute.     

The center of the ring of 3×3 generic matrices

Following Procesi, the center of the division ring of generic matrices over a field F is described as the fixed field of the symmetric group acting on a purely transcendental extension of F. For 3×3 matrices, the center is shown to be purely transcendental over F. In characteristic zero this is equivalent to saying that the field of simultaneous rational invariants of 3×3 matrices over F is a purely transcendental extension field of F.     

Additive maps preserving M-P inverses of matrices over Fields

Suppose F is a field of characteristic not 2 or 3. A characterization is given for all additive maps, on the algebra of all n × n matrices over F. which preserve Moore -Penrose(M-P) Inverses of matrices.     

Preserving diagonalisability on upper triangular matrices

We characterise all bijective linear mappings on the algebra of upper triangular _n × n matrices that preserve diagonalisability.     

Relative invariants of 3 × 3 matrix triples

We present primary and secondary generators for the algebra of polynomial invariants of the direct product of two copies of the special linear group Sl₃ acting naturally on triples of 3 × 3 matrices over a field of characteristic zero. We handle also the analogous problem for triples and quadruples of 2 × 2 matrices.