We study Morita equivalence for idempotent rings with involution. Following the ideas of Rieffel, we define Rieffel contexts, and we also introduce Morita $*$-contexts and enlargements for rings with involution. We prove that two idempotent rings with involution have a joint enlargement if and only if they are connected by a unitary and full Rieffel context. These conditions are also equivalent to having a unitary and surjective Morita $*$-context between those rings. We also examine how the mentioned conditions are connected to the existence of certain equivalence functors between the categories of firm modules over the given rings with involution.

Although there is no natural internal product for hermitian forms over an algebra with involution of the first kind, we describe how to multiply two $\varepsilon $ -hermitian forms to obtain a quadratic form over the base field. This allows to define a commutative graded ring structure by taking together bilinear forms and $\varepsilon $ -hermitian forms, which we call the mixed Witt ring of an algebra with involution. We also describe a less powerful version of this construction for unitary involutions, which still defines a ring, but with a grading over $\mathbb {Z}$ instead of the Klein group.

We first describe a general framework for defining graded rings out of monoidal functors from monoidal categories with strong symmetry properties to categories of modules. We then give a description of such a strongly symmetric category $\mathbf {Br}_h(K,\iota )$ which encodes the usual hermitian Morita theory of algebras with involutions over a field K.

We can therefore apply the general framework to $\mathbf {Br}_h(K,\iota )$ and the Witt group functors to define our mixed Witt rings, and derive their basic properties, including explicit formulas for products of diagonal forms in terms of involution trace forms, explicit computations for the case of quaternion algebras, and reciprocity formulas relative to scalar extensions.

We intend to describe in future articles further properties of those rings, such as a $\lambda $ -ring structure, and relations with the Milnor conjecture and the theory of signatures of hermitian forms.

Let X be a finite connected poset and K a field. We study the question, when all Lie automorphisms of the incidence algebra I(X, K) are proper. Without any restriction on the length of X, we find only a sufficient condition involving certain equivalence relation on the set of maximal chains of X. For some classes of posets of length one, such as finite connected crownless posets (i.e., without weak crown subposets), crowns, and ordinal sums of two anti-chains, we give a complete answer.

This paper solves the rational noncommutative analogue of Hilbert’s 17th problem: if a noncommutative rational function is positive semidefinite on all tuples of Hermitian matrices in its domain, then it is a sum of Hermitian squares of noncommutative rational functions. This result is a generalisation and culmination of earlier positivity certificates for noncommutative polynomials or rational functions without Hermitian singularities. More generally, a rational Positivstellensatz for free spectrahedra is given: a noncommutative rational function is positive semidefinite or undefined at every matricial solution of a linear matrix inequality $L\succeq 0$ if and only if it belongs to the rational quadratic module generated by L. The essential intermediate step toward this Positivstellensatz for functions with singularities is an extension theorem for invertible evaluations of linear matrix pencils.

We prove that there is a natural plectic weight filtration on the cohomology of Hilbert modular varieties in the spirit of Nekovář and Scholl. This is achieved with the help of Morel’s work on weight t-structures and a detailed study of partial Frobenius. We prove in particular that the partial Frobenius extends to toroidal and minimal compactifications.

The Torelli group of $W_g = \#^g S^n \times S^n$ is the group of diffeomorphisms of $W_g$ fixing a disc that act trivially on $H_n(W_g;\mathbb{Z} )$ . The rational cohomology groups of the Torelli group are representations of an arithmetic subgroup of $\text{Sp}_{2g}(\mathbb{Z} )$ or $\text{O}_{g,g}(\mathbb{Z} )$ . In this article we prove that for $2n \geq 6$ and $g \geq 2$ , they are in fact algebraic representations. Combined with previous work, this determines the rational cohomology of the Torelli group in a stable range. We further prove that the classifying space of the Torelli group is nilpotent.

We prove a lower bound for the free energy (per unit volume) of the two-dimensional Bose gas in the thermodynamic limit. We show that the free energy at density $\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}$ and inverse temperature $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}$ differs from the one of the noninteracting system by the correction term $4\unicode[STIX]{x1D70B}\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}^{2}|\ln \,a^{2}\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}|^{-1}(2-[1-\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}_{\text{c}}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}]_{+}^{2})$. Here, $a$ is the scattering length of the interaction potential, $[\cdot ]_{+}=\max \{0,\cdot \}$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}_{\text{c}}$ is the inverse Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless critical temperature for superfluidity. The result is valid in the dilute limit $a^{2}\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}\ll 1$ and if $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}\unicode[STIX]{x1D70C}\gtrsim 1$.

The main result of this note implies that any function from the product of several vector spaces to a vector space can be uniquely decomposed into the sum of mutually orthogonal functions that are odd in some of the arguments and even in the other arguments. Probabilistic notions and facts are employed to simplify statements and proofs.

We apply the filtered and graded methods developed in earlier works to find (noncommutative) free group algebras in division rings.

If $L$ is a Lie algebra, we denote by $U(L)$ its universal enveloping algebra. P. M. Cohn constructed a division ring $\mathfrak{D}_{L}$ that contains $U(L)$. We denote by $\mathfrak{D}(L)$ the division subring of $\mathfrak{D}_{L}$ generated by $U(L)$.

Let $k$ be a field of characteristic zero, and let $L$ be a nonabelian Lie $k$-algebra. If either $L$ is residually nilpotent or $U(L)$ is an Ore domain, we show that $\mathfrak{D}(L)$ contains (noncommutative) free group algebras. In those same cases, if $L$ is equipped with an involution, we are able to prove that the free group algebra in $\mathfrak{D}(L)$ can be chosen generated by symmetric elements in most cases.

Let $G$ be a nonabelian residually torsion-free nilpotent group, and let $k(G)$ be the division subring of the Malcev–Neumann series ring generated by the group algebra $k[G]$. If $G$ is equipped with an involution, we show that $k(G)$ contains a (noncommutative) free group algebra generated by symmetric elements.

Let $R$ be an $n!$-torsion free semiprime ring with involution $*$ and with extended centroid $C$, where $n\,>\,1$ is a positive integer. We characterize $a\,\in \,K$, the Lie algebra of skew elements in $R$, satisfying ${{(\text{a}{{\text{d}}_{a}})}^{n}}\,=\,0$ on $K$. This generalizes both Martindale and Miers’ theorem and the theorem of Brox et al. In order to prove it we first prove that if $a,\,b\,\in \,R$ satisfy ${{(\text{a}{{\text{d}}_{a}})}^{n}}\,=\,\text{a}{{\text{d}}_{b}}$ on $R$, where either $n$ is even or $b\,=\,0$, then ${{(a\,-\,\lambda )}^{[(n+1)/2]}}\,=\,0$ for some $\lambda \,\in \,C$.

We obtain a complete structural characterization of Cohn–Leavitt algebras over no-exit objects as graded involutive algebras. Corollaries of this result include graph-theoretic conditions characterizing when a Leavitt path algebra is a directed union of (graded) matricial algebras over the underlying field and over the algebra of Laurent polynomials and when the monoid of isomorphism classes of finitely generated projective modules is atomic and cancelative. We introduce the nonunital generalizations of graded analogs of noetherian and artinian rings, graded locally noetherian and graded locally artinian rings, and characterize graded locally noetherian and graded locally artinian Leavitt path algebras without any restriction on the cardinality of the graph. As a consequence, we relax the assumptions of the Abrams–Aranda–Perera–Siles characterization of locally noetherian and locally artinian Leavitt path algebras.

The trace on matrix rings, along with the augmentation map and Kaplansky trace on group rings, are some of the many examples of linear functions on algebras that vanish on all commutators. We generalize and unify these examples by studying traces on (contracted) semigroup rings over commutative rings. We show that every such ring admits a minimal trace (i.e., one that vanishes only on sums of commutators), classify all minimal traces on these rings, and give applications to various classes of semigroup rings and quotients thereof. We then study traces on Leavitt path algebras (which are quotients of contracted semigroup rings), where we describe all linear traces in terms of central maps on graph inverse semigroups and, under mild assumptions, those Leavitt path algebras that admit faithful traces.

In this paper, we characterize Jordan $*$-derivations of a 2-torsion free, finite-dimensional semiprime algebra $R$ with involution $*$. To be precise, we prove the following. Let $\delta :\,R\,\to \,R$ be a Jordan $*$-derivation. Then there exists a $*$-algebra decomposition $R\,=\,U\,\oplus \,V$ such that both $U$ and $V$ are invariant under $\delta $. Moreover, $*$ is the identity map of $U$ and $\delta {{|}_{U}}$ is a derivation, and the Jordan $*$-derivation $\delta {{|}_{V}}$ is inner. We also prove the following. Let $R$ be a noncommutative, centrally closed prime algebra with involution $*$, char $R\,\ne \,2$, and let $\delta $ be a nonzero Jordan $*$-derivation of $R$. If $\delta $ is an elementary operator of $R$, then ${{\dim}_{C}}\,R\,<\,\infty $ and $\delta $ is inner.

Let $g\,\mapsto \,{{g}^{*}}$ denote an involution on a group $G$. For any (commutative, associative) ring $R$ (with 1), $*$ extends linearly to an involution of the group ring $RG$. An element $\alpha \,\in \,RG$ is symmetric if ${{\alpha }^{*}}\,=\,\alpha $ and skew-symmetric if ${{\alpha }^{*}}\,=\,-\alpha $. The skew-symmetric elements are closed under the Lie bracket, $[\alpha ,\,\beta ]\,=\,\alpha \beta \,-\,\beta \alpha $. In this paper, we investigate when this set is also closed under the ring product in $RG$. The symmetric elements are closed under the Jordan product, $\alpha \,o\,\beta \,=\,\alpha \beta \,+\beta \alpha $. Here, we determine when this product is trivial. These two problems are analogues of problems about the skew-symmetric and symmetric elements in group rings that have received a lot of attention.

In this paper we describe the group gradings by a finite abelian group $G$ of the matrix algebra ${{M}_{n}}(F)$ over an algebraically closed field $F$ of characteristic different from 2, which respect an involution (involution gradings). We also describe, under somewhat heavier restrictions on the base field, all $G$-gradings on all finite-dimensional involution simple algebras.

We study natural $*$-valuations, $*$-places and graded $*$-rings associated with $*$-ordered rings. We prove that the natural $*$-valuation is always quasi-Ore and is even quasi-commutative (i.e., the corresponding graded $*$-ring is commutative), provided the ring contains an imaginary unit. Furthermore, it is proved that the graded $*$-ring is isomorphic to a twisted semigroup algebra. Our results are applied to answer a question of Cimprič regarding $*$-orderability of quantum groups.

We study group algebras $FG$ which can be graded by a finite abelian group $\Gamma $ such that $FG$ is $\beta $-commutative for a skew-symmetric bicharacter $\beta $ on $\Gamma $ with values in ${{F}^{*}}$.

Let $\mathbb{K}$ be a field of characteristic zero, and $*\,=\,t$ the transpose involution for the matrix algebra ${{M}_{2}}\left( \mathbb{K} \right)$. Let $\mathfrak{U}$ be a proper subvariety of the variety of algebras with involution generated by $\left( {{M}_{2}}\left( \mathbb{K} \right),\,* \right)$. We define two sequences of algebras with involution ${{R}_{p}},\,{{S}_{q}}$, where $p,\,q\,\in \,\mathbb{N}$. Then we show that ${{T}_{*}}\left( \mathfrak{U} \right)$ and ${{T}_{*}}\left( {{R}_{p}}\oplus \,{{S}_{q}} \right)$ are $*$-asymptotically equivalent for suitable $p,\,q$.

Let $R$ be a non-$\text{GPI}$ prime ring with involution and characteristic $\ne 2,3$. Let $K$ denote the skew elements of $R$, and $C$ denote the extended centroid of $R$. Let $\delta$ be a Lie derivation of $K$ into itself. Then $\delta \,=\,\rho \,+\,\varepsilon$ where $\varepsilon$ is an additive map into the skew elements of the extended centroid of $R$ which is zero on $\left[ K,\,K \right]$, and $\rho$ can be extended to an ordinary derivation of $\left\langle K \right\rangle$ into $RC$, the central closure.

The algebra consisting of those linear transformations of a complex inner product space that have a formal adjoint is shown to possess a special involution. Two earlier results concerning special involutions are then generalized.