For a coalgebra and a unital associative algebra over a commutative ring , maps have convolution , with unit . The two-sided convolution inverse of is the antipode.
Group-like element 2026-10-14
An element of a coalgebra satisfying the displayed identities. A group-like element in a Hopf algebra is invertible with inverse its antipode image.
The full carries the action , making it the internal hom right adjoint to . No finite-dimensionality or inverse antipode is needed.
Use and the quantum plane convention . In this convention is the coordinate Hopf algebra of quantum SL2 with the catalog parameter replaced by . It is generated by , subject to
Equivalently the last determinant relation is . The quantum determinant convention is essential: these relations use the inverse of the parameter in the catalog's convention.
Writing , the comultiplication is matrix multiplication, . Explicitly,
The counit is , . Extend and as unital algebra homomorphisms over a field. Matrix multiplication is associative, giving coassociativity; multiplication by the identity matrix gives the counit laws. The antipode is
For example and , while the off-diagonal entries vanish by the commutation relations. Thus this is a Hopf algebra, not merely an algebra presentation.
Take the group algebra with
on its group basis, extended linearly. Multiplication of group basis elements makes algebra homomorphisms, and verifies the antipode identities. The coproduct is fixed by the tensor flip on every basis element, so this is a cocommutative Hopf algebra. But and are distinct basis elements, proving noncommutativity. Thus .
Take , the function Hopf algebra of a finite group. Multiplication is pointwise, and
The group associativity, identity and inverse laws respectively verify coassociativity, the counit and the antipode; pointwise products show that are algebra homomorphisms. Thus is a commutative Hopf algebra.
For and , using right-to-left permutation composition, whereas . The delta function has but . Therefore .
A Hopf algebra over is a unital associative algebra equipped with a coalgebra structure such that both maps are algebra homomorphisms, and with an antipode . The defining identities are
where is multiplication and is the unit map; the counit identities use the standard identifications with and . The first compatibility conditions define a bialgebra; the antipode provides its convolution inverse. Multiplication commutativity and coproduct cocommutativity are independent conditions, as the two examples below demonstrate.
For the final construction, let , with , and take the numerical Yang-Baxter R-matrix, in the ordered basis ,
It is invertible. Its four action rules are , , , . Applying these rules on the eight basis vectors of verifies , the Yang-Baxter equation.
In the RTT construction, introduce and impose , where , . Entrywise multiplication gives
For example its entry gives , hence . Define
These maps descend to the RTT algebra. Indeed two matrices in commuting tensor factors each satisfy RTT, and
Matrix associativity gives coassociativity and the identity matrix gives the counit. Thus RTT first gives a bialgebra; the R-matrix alone does not automatically provide an antipode.
Here the quantum determinant is central and satisfies , , as follows by substitution of the displayed relations. Impose . This quotient is the coordinate Hopf algebra of quantum SL2, with
These assignments extend as an anti-algebra map: for example reversing gives , and reversing the determinant relation gives . The remaining relations are checked in the same way. Direct multiplication gives : the first diagonal entry of is , its second is , and the off-diagonal entries vanish by the -commutation relations. These are precisely the antipode identities on generators, proving that the quotient is a Hopf algebra.
To verify both required failures of symmetry, map this algebra onto the quantum Laurent plane with generators and relation , by , , , . Construct this algebra directly on the vector space with basis , , , and product . The exponent identity makes multiplication associative, and the basis products give with invertible. Since for , the Hopf algebra is noncommutative. Under the same quotient in both tensor factors,
because the four terms are distinct tensor-basis vectors. Hence it is also noncocommutative. The construction yields , for example at .
We use the left internal-hom convention in which is right adjoint to , so its evaluation morphism has domain . For a Hopf algebra over the commutative ring , take the full -module
and give it the internal hom for modules over a Hopf algebra
The antipode is an antihomomorphism, , so
The unit acts identically. Thus this is a left -module.
The evaluation morphism is -linear. Using the diagonal bialgebra action and the antipode identity,
Now let be -linear and define its ordinary curried map . To see that it too is -linear, compute
Conversely, any -linear map uncurries to an -linear map by the already established linearity of evaluation. The ordinary tensor–hom adjunction therefore restricts to a natural bijection
Postcomposition by an -linear map makes a functor. This proves that the category of left -modules is a left closed monoidal category. All modules are allowed; no inverse antipode or finite-dimensional dual is required. Stating the tensor–hom convention explicitly avoids confusing this construction with the closure on the opposite side.
A useful comodule natural transformation formula determines from a single linear functional. Define
using the regular right comodule . For any vector space , the cofree right comodule has coaction . Naturality with respect to all maps gives
The coaction is itself a morphism of right comodules. Its naturality equation, followed by , therefore gives
This derivation works for all comodules, not merely finite-dimensional ones.
The monoidal equation , evaluated on the two regular comodules and followed by their counits, implies
The unit equation gives . Thus is a unital algebra homomorphism over a field . In addition, the -colinearity of gives the useful intertwining relation
This fixes the orientation of relative to .
For the convolution product for coalgebra maps, define . Multiplicativity of and the two antipode identities show
Consequently
Coassociativity and the two convolution identities verify both composites directly. Since was a -comodule morphism, its linear inverse is also a -comodule morphism. Inverting the naturality and monoidal equations shows that the inverses form a monoidal natural transformation . Every such monoidal transformation is therefore invertible, without requiring a bijective antipode.
Over a field with and , this Hopf algebra has generators and relations , and . One comultiplication convention is , and . Its counit takes to zero and to one. The antipode takes to , to and to .