The quantum double

Arun Ram
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
University of Melbourne
Parkville, VIC 3010 Australia
aram@unimelb.edu.au

Last updates: 16 July 2011

The quantum double

([D1] §13) Let A be a finited dimensional Hopf algebra and let A∗opp denote the Hopf algebra A∗ except with the opposite comultiplication. Then there exists a unique quasitriangular Hopf algebra D(A,R) such that

  1. D(A) contains A and A∗opp as Hopf subalgebras.
  2. R is the image of the canonical element of A⊗A∗opp under A⊗A∗opp→ D(A)⊗D(A), i.e. if ei is a basis of A and ei is the dual basis in A∗opp then R=∑ei⊗ei∈ D(A)⊗D(A).
  3. The linear map A⊗A∗opp → D(A) a⊗b → ab is bijective.

2.2 Remark. If A is infinite dimensional then one may be abl to apply the theorem if there is a suitable way of completing the tensor product D(A)⊗D(A) so that the element R=∑ei⊗ei is a well defined element of the completion D(A) ⊗ ˆ D(A) .

Proof of Theorem 1.1.
□

2.3 Let the algebra A be the Hopf algebra with basis er and multiplication, comultiplication, and skew antipode given by eres = ∑ t mrst et, Δ(et) = ∑ r,s μtrs er⊗es, σ(et) = ∑ r σtr er. The unit and counit will ge given by 1=∑tEtet and ϵ(er)=er . Recall that the skew antipode is the inverse S-1 of the antipode of A and is the antipode for the Hopf algebra Aopp which is the same as the algebra A except with the opposite comultiplication.

2.4 The algebra A∗opp has basis er which is dual to the basis er of A and has multiplication and comultiplication given by eres = ∑ t μtrs et, Δ(et) = ∑ rs es⊗er. Then the algebra A⊗A∗opp has basis eres and has multiplication given by

( eres⊗epeq ) ( ekel⊗emen ) = ( eres ekel ⊗ epeq emem ) LABEL
and comultiplication given by Δ(eres) = Δ(er) Δ(es) = ( ∑ u,v muvr ev⊗eu ) ( ∑ p,q μspq ep⊗eq ) = ∑ u,v,p,q muvr μspq evep⊗eueq. Alternatively, we could have chosen to use the basis eres instead of the basis eres . It is clear from (LABEL) that we need to describe a product esek in terms of the basis epeq . The relation is eres= ∑ α,β,γ,δ,p μrγβα σαp m pδγs eδeβ. This relation is derived as follows. ⟨ eveb , ejel ⟩ = ⟨ eveb , m∘σ (el⊗ej) ⟩ = ⟨ σ∘Δ(eveb) , el⊗ej ⟩ = ⟨ Δ′(eveb) , el⊗ej ⟩ = ⟨ RΔ(eveb) R-1 , el⊗ej ⟩ = ⟨ RΔ(eveb) (id⊗S-1) (R) , el⊗ej ⟩by (1.3e) = ⟨ R⊗Δ(eveb) ⊗(id⊗S-1) (R) , (Δ⊗)2 (el⊗ej) ⟩. Let us expand the left hand factor of this inner product.
R⊗Δ(eveb) ⊗ (id⊗S-1)(R) = ∑ k,p ek⊗ek⊗ Δ(eveb)⊗ (id⊗S-1)(R) (ep⊗ep) = ∑ k,p,q r,s,t,u ek⊗ek⊗ mrsv μbut ereu⊗eset ⊗ep⊗ σqp eq. LABEL2
The right hand factor of the inner product expands in the form (Δ⊗)2 (el⊗ej) = ( Δ⊗⊗id⊗ ) ∘ Δ⊗ ( el⊗ej ) = ( Δ⊗⊗id⊗ ) ( ∑ x,y,w,z mxyl μjwz ey⊗ew⊗ex⊗ ez ) = ∑ x,y,w,z m,n,c,d mmny μwcd mxyl μjwz en⊗ec⊗em ⊗ed⊗ex⊗ez = ∑ m,n,x c,d,z mxmnl μjcdz en⊗ec⊗em ⊗ed⊗ex⊗ez. Now let us evaluate the inner product. Thi inner product picks out only the terms when m=n,k=c,v=m, b=d,p=x,q=z, and this term appears with coefficient mxmml μjcdz σqp = mpvkl μjkbq σqp . It follows that ⟨ eveb , ejel ⟩= ∑ p,q,k mpvkl μjkbq σqp . The multiplication rule follows.

2.6 We shall need the following calculation in our proof that D(A) is quasitriangular. We shall need the identities in §4 of the notes on co-Poisson Hopf algebras. ∑ γ,α,p,s μaγβαs σαp mspδγv = ∑ γ,α,n,k,s,p μaγβn μnαs σαs mspk mkδγv by 4.1 and 4.4 = ∑ γ,α,n,k μaγβn εnEk mkδγv by 4.11 = ∑ γ,α,n,k μaγβn εnEk δδn mmγv by 4.2 = ∑ γ,n μaγβn εn Ek mδγv = ∑ γ,n,k μaγk μkβn εn mδγv by 4.4 = ∑ γ,k μaγk δkβ mδγv by 4.5 = ∑ γ μaγβ mδγv .

2.7 Now we prove that A⊗A∗opp satisfies the condition (1.2a) for a quasitriangular Hopf algebra. ( ( σ∘Δ ) ( ev eb ) )R = ∑ δ,γ,r,s,m mδγv μbrs ( eδes⊗ eγer ) ( em⊗em ) = ∑ δ,γ,r,s,m mδγv μbrs ( eδesem⊗ eγerem ) = ∑ δ,γ,r,s,m,λ mδγv μbrs msmλ ( eδeλ⊗ eγerem ) = ∑ δ,γ,r,s,m,λ u,t,α,p,β mδγv μbrs μrutα σαp mpβum msmλ ( eδeλ⊗ eγeβet ) = ∑ δ,γ,r,s,m,λ u,t,α,p,β,a mδγv μaγβ μrutα σαp mpβum msmλ ( eδeλ⊗ eaet ) = ∑ δ,γ,s,m,λ u,t,α,p,β,a mδγv μaγβ μbutαs σαp mspβuλ ( eδeλ⊗ eaet ) = ∑ δ,γ,s,λ u,t,α,p,β,a mδγv μaγβ μbutαs σαp mspβuλ ( eδeλ⊗ eaet ) = ∑ δ,γ,u,t,β,a,λ mδγv μaγβ μbut mβuλ ( eδeλ⊗ eaet ). A similar calculation on the right hand side gives RΔ(eveb) = ∑ r,s,t,u,m msrv μbut ( em⊗em ) ( ereu⊗ eset ) = ∑ r,s,t,u,m msrv μbut ( emereu⊗ emeset ) = ∑ r,s,t,u,m,a msrv μbut μams ( emereu⊗ eaet ) = ∑ r,s,t,u,m,a α,β,γ,δ,p msrv μbut μams μmγβα σαp mpδγr ( edeβeu⊗ eaet ) = ∑ r,s,t,u,m,a α,β,γ,δ,p,λ msrv μbut μams μmγβα σαp mpδγr mβuλ ( eδeλ⊗ eaet ) = ∑ s,t,u,m,a α,β,γ,δ,p,λ μbut μaγβαs σαp mspδγv mβuλ ( eδeλ⊗ eaet ) = ∑ δ,γ,u,t,β,aλ mδγv μaγβ μbut mβuλ ( eδeλ⊗ eaet ).

2.8 It remains to prove the identities ( id⊗Δ ) ( R )= R13R12 and ( Δ⊗id ) ( R )= R13R23 . ( id⊗Δ ) ( R ) = ∑ k ek⊗ Δ(ek) = ∑ k,r,s mrsk ek⊗es⊗er = ∑ r,s eres⊗ es⊗er = ∑ r,s ( er⊗1⊗er ) ( es⊗es⊗1 ) = R13R12. Similarly we have that ( Δ⊗id ) ( R ) = ∑ k Δ(ek)⊗ek = ∑ k,r,s μkrs er⊗esek = ∑ r,s er⊗es⊗eres = ∑ r,s ( er⊗1⊗er ) ( 1⊗es⊗es ) = R13R23 This completes the proof of Theorem 1.1.

References

The quantum double seems to have appeared first in the following paper.

[D] V.G. Drinfeld, Quantum Groups, Vol. 1 of Proccedings of the International Congress of Mathematicians (Berkeley, Calif., 1986). Amer. Math. Soc., Providence, RI, 1987, pp. 198–820. MR0934283

Some further proofs and hints appear in the following.

[D1] V.G. Drinfelʹd, Almost cocommutative Hopf algebras, (Russian) Algebra i Analiz 1 (1989), 30–46; translation in Leningrad Math. J. 1 (1990), 321–342. MR1025154

[Re] N. Yu. Reshetikhin, Quantized universal enveloping algebras, the Yang-Baxter equation and invariants of links I, LOMI preprint no. E–4–87, (1987).

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