Weitzenböck derivations of free metabelian Lie algebras

A nonzero locally nilpotent linear derivation δ   of the polynomial algebra K[_Xd]=K[_x1,…,_xd]$K[X_d]=K[x_1\text{,}\dots \text{,}{x}_d]$ in several variables over a field K   of characteristic 0 is called a Weitzenböck derivation. The classical theorem of Weitzenböck states that the algebra of constants K[_Xd]^δ$K{[X_d]}^{\delta }$ (which coincides with the algebra of invariants of a single unipotent transformation) is finitely generated. Similarly one may consider the algebra of constants of a locally nilpotent linear derivation δ of a finitely generated (not necessarily commutative or associative) algebra which is relatively free in a variety of algebras over K  . Now the algebra of constants is usually not finitely generated. Except for some trivial cases this holds for the algebra of constants (_Ld/_Ld^″)^δ${(L_d/{L_d}^{″})}^{\delta }$ of the free metabelian Lie algebra _Ld/_Ld″$L_d/L_d″$ with d   generators. We show that the vector space of the constants (_Ld/_Ld^″)^δ${(L_d/{L_d}^{″})}^{\delta }$ in the commutator ideal _Ld′/_Ld″$L_d\prime /L_d″$ is a finitely generated K[_Xd]^δ$K{[X_d]}^{\delta }$-module. For small d  , we calculate the Hilbert series of (_Ld/_Ld^″)^δ${(L_d/{L_d}^{″})}^{\delta }$ and find the generators of the K[_Xd]^δ$K{[X_d]}^{\delta }$-module (_Ld/_Ld^″)^δ${(L_d/{L_d}^{″})}^{\delta }$. This gives also an (infinite) set of generators of the algebra (_Ld/_Ld^″)^δ${(L_d/{L_d}^{″})}^{\delta }$.