Lie Bialgebras

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

Last updates: 21 March 2011

Lie bialgebras

1.1 A Lie bialgebra is a Lie algebra with bracket , and cobracket φ:𝔤𝔤𝔤 such that
  1. 𝔤 with bracket φ: 𝔤𝔤 𝔤 is a Lie algebra, and
  2. φ satisfies the 1-cocycle condition, φ x,y = x1+1x,φy - y1+1y,φx , for all x,y𝔤.
In 1), φ: 𝔤𝔤 𝔤 is the induced mapping on the dual spaces. Given an element x𝔤 let us let x,a=x a denote the evaluation of x on the element a𝔤. Then φ: 𝔤𝔤 𝔤 is given explicitly by φxy,ab= x,a y,b, for all x,y𝔤 . Note that φ:𝔤𝔤𝔤 is a well defined map since 𝔤𝔤 𝔤𝔤 (even if 𝔤 is infinite dimensional).

1.2 An element r𝔤𝔤=V =C0𝔤,𝔤𝔤 determines a 1-coboundary drB1 𝔤,𝔤𝔤 given by drx= 1x+x1,r , for all x𝔤. Since d2=0 we know that every 1-coboundary is a 1-cocycle. Thus r𝔤𝔤 determines a 1-cocycle and posibly a bialgebra structure on 𝔤. Thus it is a natural question:

  1. Given an element r𝔤𝔤, what conditions should we place on r to guarantee that the map δ:𝔤𝔤𝔤 determined by δx= 1x+x1,r , determines a Lie bialgebra structure on 𝔤?
This question is answered by the following proposition:

Let 𝔤 be a Lie algebra, let r𝔤𝔤 and define a map dr:𝔤𝔤𝔤 by drx= 1x+x1,r . Let ρ= 12 r12-r21 and let P= 12 r12+r21 so that r=P+ρ.

  1. The map dr: 𝔤𝔤 𝔤 satisfies the skew-symmetric condition if and only if ad2 r12+r21 =0 for all x𝔤.
  2. Assume that P is ad2 invariant. Then dr satisfies the Jacobi identity if and only if ad3 r12 ,r13+ r12r23+ r13r23 = 0 for all x𝔤.

If r= i aibi then the notation above is r12+r21= i aibi+ biai , r12r13+ r12r23+ r13r23= i,j aiaj bibj+ aibiaj bj+ aiaj bibj . Condition a) states that r12+r21 is 𝔤-invariant and condition b) states that r12r13+ r12r23+ r13r23 is 𝔤-invariant.

1.4 A quasitraingular Lie bialgebra is a pair 𝔤,r such that 𝔤 is a Lie bialgebra, r𝔤𝔤 , the cobraket in 𝔤 is equal to dr and r satisfies r12+r21=0, i.e, r2𝔤 .

A triangular Lie bialgebra is a pair 𝔤,r such that 𝔤 is a Lie bialgebra, r𝔤𝔤, the cobracket in 𝔤 is equal to dr and r satisfies r12+r21=0,and r12r13+ r12r23+ r13r23=0. The equation r12r13+ r12r23+ r13r23 =0 is the classical Yang-Baxter equation (CYBE).

1.5 If 𝔤 is a semisimple Lie algebra over a field of characteristic 0, then it follows from Whitehead's lemma ([J] III §7 Lemma 3 p.77 and Thm. 13 p.95) that H1𝔤,r=0 for all finite dimensional 𝔤-modules V. Thus all 1-cocycles are coboundaries; in this case, if φ:𝔤𝔤𝔤 is any linear map which satisfies the 1-cocycle condition then there is an element r𝔤𝔤 such that φx= 1x+x1,r for all x𝔤.

Manin triples and the double

2.1 Let ,:𝔭𝔭𝔭 be a symmetric bilinear form on a vector space 𝔭, i.e. x,y=y,x for all x,y𝔭.

The form , is nondegenerate if the map given by : 𝔭 𝔭 x x, is an isomorphism. Alternatively, the form , is invariant if for every x𝔭, x0 there is a y𝔭 such that x,y0. A third way to say it is that , is invariant if the null space of the form N= x𝔭x,y=0  for all y𝔭 is 0. A fourht way to say it is that the matrix of the form (with respect to any fixed basis of 𝔭) has nonzero determininant.

A subspace 𝔭 of 𝔭 is isotropic if x,x=0 for all x𝔭.

Given vector spaces 𝔭1 and 𝔭2 with symmetric bilinear forms ,1 and ,2 respectively then the vector space 𝔭1𝔭2 has a bilinear form , given by xy,zw= x,z1 y,w2 for all x,z𝔭1 and y,w𝔭2. In particular, if 𝔭 is a vector space with a bilinear form , then 𝔭𝔭 has a bilinear form given by xy,zw= x,zy,w for all x,y,z,w𝔭.

Suppose that the vector space 𝔭 is a Lie algebra. The form , is invariant if adzx,y= -x,adzy, for all x,y,z𝔭.

2.2 A Manin triple is a triple 𝔭,𝔭1,𝔭2 such that

  1. 𝔭 is a Lie algebra with a nondegenerat invariant symmetric bilinear form , and
  2. 𝔭1 and 𝔭2 are isotropic Lie subalgebra of 𝔭.
  3. 𝔭=𝔭1𝔭2 as vector spaces.

Let 𝔭,𝔭1,𝔭2 be a Manin triple. Then 𝔭1 is a Lie algebra with cobracket δ:𝔭1𝔭1𝔭2 determined by the equation δx ,y1y2= x,y1,y2, for all x𝔭1 and all y1,y2𝔭2 . In other words, δ is the adjoint of the bracket on 𝔭2.

Let 𝔤δ be a Lie bialgebra. Then the triple 𝔤𝔤,𝔤,𝔤 is a Manin triple where

  1. The bilinear form , on 𝔤𝔤 is given by x1+ y1 ,x2+ y2 = x1, y2 + x2, y1 = y2 x1+ y1 x2, for all x1,x2𝔤 and all y1 , y2 𝔤 , and
  2. The bracket on 𝔤𝔤 is determined by the formulas y1 y2 ,p = y1 y2 , δp , if p𝔤, 0, if p𝔤, xy,p = y,px, if p𝔤, x,yp, if p𝔤, where x𝔤 and y,y1, y2 𝔤 .

This is essentially the only way to define things so that the bracket on 𝔤 is the dual of the cobracket on 𝔤 and so that the bilinear form is invariant. The Lie algebra 𝔤𝔤=Dg constructed from the the Lie bialgebra 𝔤 is called the double corresponding to the Lie algebra 𝔤.

The previous two propositions show that there is a one-to-one correspondence between Lie bialgebras and Manin triples.

Let 𝔤 be a Lie bialgebra and D𝔤=𝔤𝔤 be the double of 𝔤. Let ai be a basis of 𝔤 and let ai be the dual basis in 𝔤. Define r= i aiai 𝔤𝔤 D𝔤D𝔤. Then

  1. The element r does not depend on the choice of basis ai of 𝔤.
  2. r satisfies the CYBE.
  3. D𝔤,r is a quasitriangular Lie bialgebra.

Proofs

Let 𝔤 be a Lie algebra, let r𝔤𝔤 and define a map dr:𝔤𝔤𝔤 by drx= 1x+x1,r . Let ρ= 12 r12-r21 and let P= 12 r12-r21 so that r=P+ρ.

  1. The map dr: 𝔤𝔤 𝔤 satisfies the skew-symmetric condition if and only if ad2 r12+r21 =0 for all x𝔤.
  2. Assume that P is ad2 invariant. Then dr satisfies the Jacobi identity if and only if ad3 r12 ,r13+ r12r23+ r13r23 = 0 for all x𝔤.

Proof:

Let 𝔭,𝔭1,𝔭2 be a Manin triple. Then 𝔭1 is a Lie bialgebra with cobracket δ:𝔭1 𝔭1𝔭1 determined by the equation δx, y1y2 = x, y1,y2 for all x𝔭1 and all y1,y2𝔭2. In other words, δ is the adjoint of the bracket on 𝔭2.

Proof:

Let 𝔤,δ be a Lie bialgebra. Then the triple 𝔤𝔤,𝔤,𝔤 is a Manin triple where

  1. The bilinear form , on 𝔤𝔤 is given by x1+ y1 , x2+ y2 = x1 , y2 + x2 , y1 = y2 x1+ y1 x2, for all x1,x2𝔤 and all y1 , y2 𝔤
  2. The bracket on 𝔤𝔤 is determined by the formulas y1 y2 ,p = y1 y2 , δp , if p𝔤, 0, if p𝔤, xy,p = y,px, if p𝔤, x,yp, if p𝔤, where x𝔤 and y,y1, y2 𝔤 .

Proof:

Let 𝔤 be a Lie bialgebra and let D𝔤=𝔤𝔤 be the double of 𝔤. Let ai be a basis of 𝔤 and ai be the dual basis in 𝔤. Define r= i aiai 𝔤𝔤 D𝔤D𝔤. Then

  1. The element r does not depend on the choice of basis ai of 𝔤.
  2. r satisfies the CYBE.
  3. D𝔤,r is a quasitriangular Lie bialgebra.

Proof:

References

The motivating reference is

[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

There is a detailed exposition of Lie bialgebras in the following article

[DHL] H.-D. Doebner, Hennig, J. D. and W. Lücke, Mathematical guide to quantum groups, Quantum groups (Clausthal, 1989), Lecture Notes in Phys., 370, Springer, Berlin, 1990, pp. 29–63. MR1201823

[J] N. Jacobson, Lie algebras, Interscience Publishers, New York, 1962.

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