In
mathematics, a graded Lie algebra is a
Lie algebra
In mathematics, a Lie algebra (pronounced ) is a vector space \mathfrak g together with an operation called the Lie bracket, an alternating bilinear map \mathfrak g \times \mathfrak g \rightarrow \mathfrak g, that satisfies the Jacobi iden ...
endowed with a
gradation which is compatible with the
Lie bracket
In mathematics, a Lie algebra (pronounced ) is a vector space \mathfrak g together with an operation called the Lie bracket, an alternating bilinear map \mathfrak g \times \mathfrak g \rightarrow \mathfrak g, that satisfies the Jacobi identi ...
. In other words, a graded Lie algebra is a Lie algebra which is also a
nonassociative
In mathematics, the associative property is a property of some binary operations, which means that rearranging the parentheses in an expression will not change the result. In propositional logic, associativity is a valid rule of replacement f ...
graded algebra
In mathematics, in particular abstract algebra, a graded ring is a ring such that the underlying additive group is a direct sum of abelian groups R_i such that R_i R_j \subseteq R_. The index set is usually the set of nonnegative integers or the ...
under the bracket operation. A choice of
Cartan decomposition
In mathematics, the Cartan decomposition is a decomposition of a semisimple Lie group or Lie algebra, which plays an important role in their structure theory and representation theory. It generalizes the polar decomposition or singular value decom ...
endows any
semisimple Lie algebra
In mathematics, a Lie algebra is semisimple if it is a direct sum of simple Lie algebras. (A simple Lie algebra is a non-abelian Lie algebra without any non-zero proper ideals).
Throughout the article, unless otherwise stated, a Lie algebra is ...
with the structure of a graded Lie algebra. Any
parabolic Lie algebra is also a graded Lie algebra.
A graded Lie superalgebra extends the notion of a graded Lie algebra in such a way that the Lie bracket is no longer assumed to be necessarily
anticommutative. These arise in the study of
derivations on
graded algebra
In mathematics, in particular abstract algebra, a graded ring is a ring such that the underlying additive group is a direct sum of abelian groups R_i such that R_i R_j \subseteq R_. The index set is usually the set of nonnegative integers or the ...
s, in the
deformation theory
In mathematics, deformation theory is the study of infinitesimal conditions associated with varying a solution ''P'' of a problem to slightly different solutions ''P''ε, where ε is a small number, or a vector of small quantities. The infinitesi ...
of
Murray Gerstenhaber,
Kunihiko Kodaira
was a Japanese mathematician known for distinguished work in algebraic geometry and the theory of complex manifolds, and as the founder of the Japanese school of algebraic geometers. He was awarded a Fields Medal in 1954, being the first Japane ...
, and
Donald C. Spencer, and in the theory of
Lie derivative
In differential geometry, the Lie derivative ( ), named after Sophus Lie by Władysław Ślebodziński, evaluates the change of a tensor field (including scalar functions, vector fields and one-forms), along the flow defined by another vecto ...
s.
A supergraded Lie superalgebra is a further generalization of this notion to the category of
superalgebra
In mathematics and theoretical physics, a superalgebra is a Z2-graded algebra. That is, it is an algebra over a commutative ring or field with a decomposition into "even" and "odd" pieces and a multiplication operator that respects the grading.
...
s in which a graded
Lie superalgebra
In mathematics, a Lie superalgebra is a generalisation of a Lie algebra to include a Z2 grading. Lie superalgebras are important in theoretical physics where they are used to describe the mathematics of supersymmetry. In most of these theories, th ...
is endowed with an additional super
-gradation. These arise when one forms a graded Lie superalgebra in a classical (non-supersymmetric) setting, and then tensorizes to obtain the
supersymmetric
In a supersymmetric theory the equations for force and the equations for matter are identical. In theoretical and mathematical physics, any theory with this property has the principle of supersymmetry (SUSY). Dozens of supersymmetric theorie ...
analog.
[Thus supergraded Lie superalgebras carry a ''pair'' of -gradations: one of which is supersymmetric, and the other is classical. ]Pierre Deligne
Pierre René, Viscount Deligne (; born 3 October 1944) is a Belgian mathematician. He is best known for work on the Weil conjectures, leading to a complete proof in 1973. He is the winner of the 2013 Abel Prize, 2008 Wolf Prize, 1988 Crafoord Pr ...
calls the supersymmetric one the ''super gradation'', and the classical one the ''cohomological gradation''. These two gradations must be compatible, and there is often disagreement as to how they should be regarded. Se
Deligne's discussion
of this difficulty.
Still greater generalizations are possible to Lie algebras over a class of
braided monoidal categories In mathematics, a ''commutativity constraint'' \gamma on a monoidal category ''\mathcal'' is a choice of isomorphism \gamma_ : A\otimes B \rightarrow B\otimes A for each pair of objects ''A'' and ''B'' which form a "natural family." In particu ...
equipped with a
coproduct
In category theory, the coproduct, or categorical sum, is a construction which includes as examples the disjoint union of sets and of topological spaces, the free product of groups, and the direct sum of modules and vector spaces. The cop ...
and some notion of a gradation compatible with the braiding in the
category
Category, plural categories, may refer to:
Philosophy and general uses
*Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally
* Category of being
* ''Categories'' (Aristotle)
* Category (Kant)
* Categories (Peirce) ...
. For hints in this direction, see
Lie superalgebra#Category-theoretic definition.
Graded Lie algebras
In its most basic form, a graded Lie algebra is an ordinary Lie algebra
, together with a
gradation of vector spaces
:
such that the Lie bracket respects this gradation:
:
The
universal enveloping algebra
In mathematics, the universal enveloping algebra of a Lie algebra is the unital associative algebra whose representations correspond precisely to the representations of that Lie algebra.
Universal enveloping algebras are used in the representa ...
of a graded Lie algebra inherits the grading.
Examples
sl(2)
For example, the Lie algebra
of
trace-free
In linear algebra, the trace of a square matrix , denoted , is defined to be the sum of elements on the main diagonal (from the upper left to the lower right) of . The trace is only defined for a square matrix ().
It can be proved that the trace o ...
2 × 2
matrices is graded by the generators:
:
These satisfy the relations
,
, and
. Hence with
,
, and
, the decomposition
presents
as a graded Lie algebra.
Free Lie algebra
The
free Lie algebra on a set ''X'' naturally has a grading, given by the minimum number of terms needed to generate the group element. This arises for example as the associated graded Lie algebra to the
lower central series of a
free group
In mathematics, the free group ''F'S'' over a given set ''S'' consists of all words that can be built from members of ''S'', considering two words to be different unless their equality follows from the group axioms (e.g. ''st'' = ''suu''− ...
.
Generalizations
If
is any
commutative
In mathematics, a binary operation is commutative if changing the order of the operands does not change the result. It is a fundamental property of many binary operations, and many mathematical proofs depend on it. Most familiar as the name o ...
monoid
In abstract algebra, a branch of mathematics, a monoid is a set equipped with an associative binary operation and an identity element. For example, the nonnegative integers with addition form a monoid, the identity element being 0.
Monoids ...
, then the notion of a
-graded Lie algebra generalizes that of an ordinary (
-) graded Lie algebra so that the defining relations hold with the
integer
An integer is the number zero (), a positive natural number (, , , etc.) or a negative integer with a minus sign ( −1, −2, −3, etc.). The negative numbers are the additive inverses of the corresponding positive numbers. In the language ...
s
replaced by
. In particular, any semisimple Lie algebra is graded by the root spaces of its
adjoint representation.
Graded Lie superalgebras
A graded Lie superalgebra over a
field ''k'' (not of
characteristic 2) consists of a
graded vector space
In mathematics, a graded vector space is a vector space that has the extra structure of a '' grading'' or a ''gradation'', which is a decomposition of the vector space into a direct sum of vector subspaces.
Integer gradation
Let \mathbb be ...
''E'' over ''k'', along with a
bilinear bracket operation
:
such that the following axioms are satisfied.
*
, -respects the gradation of ''E'':
*(''Symmetry'') For all ''x'' in ''E''
''i'' and ''y'' in ''E''
''j'',