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An algebra involution on a complex associative algebra is a conjugate-linear map satisfying $(xy{)}^{\ast }=y^{\ast }{x}^{\ast }$ and $(x^{\ast }{)}^{\ast }=x$. It fixes the identity when one exists. A star algebra is an algebra equipped with such a map. These algebraic identities do not themselves impose norm continuity or the C-star identity.

The bar resolution of an associative algebra $A$ over a field has degree-$n$ term $A^{\otimes (n+2)}$ as an $A^e$-module, with the outer factors carrying the left and right actions. Its boundary multiplies each consecutive pair with alternating signs, and its augmentation is multiplication $A\otimes A\to A$. It is exact: the $k$-linear contracting homotopy inserts $1$ at the left. Applying ${\mathrm{Hom}}_{A^e}(-,M)$ gives the Hochschild cochain complex of the bimodule $M$.

A block of a finite-dimensional associative algebra $R$ is a two-sided ideal $Re$ associated with a primitive idempotent $e$ in the center of an associative algebra. Its identity is $e$, and $R$ is the product of these blocks. An $R$-module belongs to this block if $eM=M$. For a semisimple algebra, the Artin–Wedderburn theorem says the blocks are its full matrix algebras over division rings. For a group algebra this specializes to a block of a group algebra.

A block of an associative algebra with a finite decomposition of its identity is a two-sided direct summand $Ae$ corresponding to a primitive central idempotent $e$. Its identity is $e$, and it cannot be split into two nonzero algebras by central idempotents. For a group algebra of a finite group, this agrees with a block of a group algebra. Orthogonal primitive central idempotents give $A={⨁}_{i}A{e}_i$.

For a subalgebra $B$ of an associative algebra $A$, its centralizer isIt is a subalgebra of $A$. When $A$ is a group algebra and $B$ is the group algebra of a subgroup $H$, its elements are exactly the linear combinations with coefficients constant on the conjugation orbits of $H$.

The commutator of two elements of an associative algebra over a field isIt measures how much the order of multiplication matters: $[A,B]=0$ exactly when $AB=BA$. It is a bilinear map, it is alternating since $AA-AA=0$, and associativity makes it satisfy the Jacobi identity. Hence every associative algebra becomes a Lie algebra on the same vector space when equipped with this product. This holds in every characteristic of a field.

For square matrices, this is the matrix commutator, and it is defined even for singular matrices. The group commutator of invertible matrices is instead $AB{A}^{-1}{B}^{-1}$: it equals the identity element when the matrices commute, whereas $AB-BA$ equals the zero matrix. The Lie bracket from local group commutators explains how differentiation connects the two constructions.

The displayed complex matrices, with real coefficients, form a four-dimensional real associative algebra. Their three imaginary basis matrices square to minus the identity and satisfy $JK=L$, $KL=J$, $LJ=K$, with the reversed products negative. For $\alpha =aI+bJ+cK+dL$, quaternionic conjugation gives $\alpha \overline{\alpha }=(a^2+b^2+c^2+d^2)I$. Every nonzero matrix therefore has inverse $\overline{\alpha }/(a^2+b^2+c^2+d^2)$ inside this algebra. This realizes the real division algebra of quaternions within $M_2(\mathbb{C})$; it is not a complex vector subspace.

For an associative algebra $A$ over a field $k$, a derivation is a $k$-linear map $D:A\to A$ satisfying $D(ab)=D(a)b+aD(b)$. It is the case $M=A$ of a derivation into a bimodule; the order of factors matters when $A$ is noncommutative. Substituting $a=b=1$ gives $D(1)=0$. Such maps form a Lie algebra under the commutator $[D,E]=D\circ E-E\circ D$.

More generally, for a commutative ring $R$, a derivation from a commutative $R$-algebra $B$ into a $B$-module $M$ is an $R$-linear map $D:B\to M$ with $D(r)=0$ for $r\in R$ and $D(b{b}^{\prime })=bD(b^{\prime })+b^{\prime }D(b)$. The second term has this order because the algebra is commutative. Derivations of smooth functions are vector fields provide a geometric example.

For a finite-dimensional associative algebra, form a graph on its simple modules, joining $S,T$ when ${\mathrm{Ext}}^1(S,T)$ or ${\mathrm{Ext}}^1(T,S)$ is nonzero. Its connected components are exactly the simple modules belonging to each block of a finite-dimensional algebra. They are also the components generated by sharing a Jordan–Hölder factor occurrence in an indecomposable representation that is a projective module.

Indeed, Ext separation of finite-length modules would split the regular module of a block into canonical summands if that block had two graph components. Right multiplication preserves these summands, so its projection supplies a nontrivial central idempotent, contradicting the definition of a block. An indecomposable projective belongs to one block. Finally, a nonsplit extension $0\to U\to V\to W\to 0$ of simple modules is a quotient of the projective cover of $W$: a lift onto $W$ must contain $U$, since otherwise the extension splits. Thus its two endpoints share factors in an indecomposable projective.

For a finite-dimensional associative algebra over an algebraically closed field, the Ext quiver has a vertex for each simple module isomorphism class and $a_{ij}$ arrows $i\to j$. For a basic algebra with $P_i=A{e}_i$, applying ${\mathrm{Hom}}_A(-,S_j)$ to the projective-cover sequence gives $a_{ij}=\dim e_j(J/J^2)e_i$. Our path algebra convention multiplies consecutive arrows $\alpha :i\to j$, $\beta :j\to l$ as $\beta \alpha$, making left modules have arrow maps $V_i\to V_j$. The orientation convention must be stated when comparing other definitions.

Particle operators obey a rapidity-dependent exchange rule $A_i({\theta }_1)A_j({\theta }_2)=S_{ij}^{kl}({\theta }_1-{\theta }_2)A_l({\theta }_2)A_k({\theta }_1)$, with repeated species indices summed. A consistent associative algebra must give the same coefficients when a triple product is brought to decreasing or increasing rapidity order by either sequence of adjacent exchanges. This is the Faddeev-Zamolodchikov associativity constraint. Rapidity ordering here is distinct from the creation/annihilation convention of ordinary normal ordering.

A finite-dimensional unital associative algebra over a field admitting a linear functional $\epsilon$ whose pairing $(a,b)\mapsto \epsilon (ab)$ is nondegenerate. The dual numbers with functional extracting the nilpotent coefficient are an example; semisimplicity is unnecessary.

The Hochschild cohomological dimension of an associative algebra over a field is $\mathrm{Dim}(A)={\mathrm{pd}}_{A\otimes A^{\mathrm{op}}}A$. Equivalently, $H{H}^n(A,M)$ vanishes above that dimension for every bimodule $M$. A bound by one implies $H{H}^2(A,A)=0$ and hence formal rigidity from vanishing second Hochschild cohomology.

The Jacobi identity is the compatibility condition on a Lie bracketTogether with an Alternating Lie bracket, it defines a Lie algebra. Unlike associativity, it relates three cyclic bracketings rather than equating two bracketings. Equivalently, using antisymmetry of a Lie bracket,Thus the linear map ${\mathrm{ad}}_x:y\mapsto [x,y]$ is a derivation of a Lie algebra: acting on a bracket is the sum of acting on each argument. This makes infinitesimal symmetries act consistently on each other's products. It also gives $[{\mathrm{ad}}_x,{\mathrm{ad}}_y]={\mathrm{ad}}_{[x,y]}$, the identity that makes the Adjoint representation of a Lie algebra a Lie algebra representation.

For the commutator in an associative algebra, the cancellation is directly visible:Each word occurs once with each sign. This proves the Jacobi identity without a restriction on the characteristic of a field.

For a computed check in the sl2 matrix commutator example,Here the last two terms are individually nonzero over characteristic zero; the identity records their cancellation. In the cross-product Lie algebra, the same cyclic cancellation is the vector triple product identity.

The historical connection is unusually concrete: Lie and Engel's volume I expands nested commutators of differential operators into twelve terms and cancels them cyclically, in Chapter 5, §26, equation (7). See Lie and Engel, §26, in Merker's translation, pp. 105–106.

A left ideal $L$ of an associative algebra $A$ is a vector subspace satisfying $AL\subseteq L$. Equivalently, it is a submodule of the left regular $A$-module.

A left inverse of an element $a$ of a unital associative algebra is an element $b$ with $ba=1$. A right inverse instead satisfies $ab=1$. If both exist, they agree: $b=b(ac)=(ba)c=c$. A one-sided inverse alone need not imply invertibility in an infinite-dimensional Banach algebra.

For an associative algebra $A$, its matrix algebra $M_n(A)$ consists of all $n$ by $n$ matrices over $A$, with ordinary matrix multiplication. If $A=k$ is a field, this is ${\mathrm{End}}_k(k^n)$ and is a central simple algebra. Full matrix algebras over division rings are the factors in the Artin–Wedderburn theorem.

A commutative unital subalgebra $D$ of an associative algebra $A$ is maximal commutative if no larger commutative subalgebra contains it. Equivalently $C_A(D)=D$: any element of its centralizer of a subalgebra generates a commutative algebra together with $D$. The full diagonal matrix algebra inside $M_n(\mathbb{C})$ is an example.

For a unital associative algebra, normalized positive-degree cochains vanish whenever an argument is $1$. They form a subcomplex of the Hochschild cochain complex computing the same Hochschild cohomology. The unit-insertion contracting homotopy on degenerate bar terms proves the normalization equivalence. A normalized degree-two Hochschild cocycle defines a unital square-zero extension of an algebra.