Non-Associative Geometry and the Spectral Action Principle

Chamseddine and Connes have argued that the action for Einstein gravity, coupled to the SU(3)\times SU(2)\times U(1) standard model of particle physics, may be elegantly recast as the "spectral action" on a certain "non-commutative geometry." In this paper, we show how this formalism may be extended to "non-associative geometries," and explain the motivations for doing so. As a guiding illustration, we present the simplest non-associative geometry (based on the octonions) and evaluate its spectral action: it describes Einstein gravity coupled to a G_2 gauge theory, with 8 Dirac fermions (which transform as a singlet and a septuplet under G_2). This is just the simplest example: in a forthcoming paper we show how to construct more realistic models that include Higgs fields, spontaneous symmetry breaking and fermion masses.Comment: 24 pages, no figures, matches JHEP versio

Additive combinatorics methods in associative algebras

We adapt methods coming from additive combinatorics in groups to the study of linear span in associative unital algebras. In particular, we establish for these algebras analogues of Diderrich-Kneser's and Hamidoune's theorems on sumsets and Tao's theorem on sets of small doubling. In passing we classify the finite-dimensional algebras over infinite fields with finitely many subalgebras. These algebras play a crucial role in our linear version of Diderrich-Kneser's theorem. We also explain how the original theorems for groups we linearize can be easily deduced from our results applied to group algebras. Finally, we give lower bounds for the Minkowski product of two subsets in finite monoids by using their associated monoid algebras.Comment: In this second version, we clarify and extend the domain of validity of Diderrich-Kneser's theorem for associative algebras. We simplify the proofs and we also add a section on Kneser's and Hamidoune's theorem in monoi

The Nori-Hilbert scheme is not smooth for 2-Calabi Yau algebras

Let $k$ be an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero and let $A$ be a finitely generated $k-$algebra. The Nori - Hilbert scheme of $A$, parameterizes left ideals of codimension $n$ in $A,$ and it is well known to be smooth when $A$ is formally smooth. In this paper we will study the Nori - Hilbert scheme for $2-$Calabi Yau algebras. The main examples of these are surface group algebras and preprojective algebras. For the former we show that the Nori-Hilbert scheme is smooth for $n=1$ only, while for the latter we show that the smooth components that contain simple representations are precisely those that only contain simple representation. Under certain conditions we can generalize this last statement to arbitrary $2-$Calabi Yau algebras.Comment: 30 pages, research paper. Accepted for publication in Journal of Noncommutative Geometr

Constants of Weitzenb\"ock derivations and invariants of unipotent transformations acting on relatively free algebras

In commutative algebra, a Weitzenb\"ock derivation is a nonzero triangular linear derivation of the polynomial algebra $K[x_1,...,x_m]$ in several variables over a field $K$ of characteristic 0. The classical theorem of Weitzenb\"ock states that the algebra of constants is finitely generated. (This algebra coincides with the algebra of invariants of a single unipotent transformation.) In this paper we study the problem of finite generation of the algebras of constants of triangular linear derivations of finitely generated (not necessarily commutative or associative) algebras over $K$ assuming that the algebras are free in some sense (in most of the cases relatively free algebras in varieties of associative or Lie algebras). In this case the algebra of constants also coincides with the algebra of invariants of some unipotent transformation. \par The main results are the following: 1. We show that the subalgebra of constants of a factor algebra can be lifted to the subalgebra of constants. 2. For all varieties of associative algebras which are not nilpotent in Lie sense the subalgebras of constants of the relatively free algebras of rank $\geq 2$ are not finitely generated. 3. We describe the generators of the subalgebra of constants for all factor algebras $K/I$ modulo a $GL_2(K)$-invariant ideal $I$. 4. Applying known results from commutative algebra, we construct classes of automorphisms of the algebra generated by two generic $2\times 2$ matrices. We obtain also some partial results on relatively free Lie algebras.Comment: 31 page