Let A be a semiprime superalgebra over a commutative ring F with and f:A→A a skew-supercommuting map on A. We show that f=0. This gives a version of Brešar’s theorem for superalgebras.

We give an interpretation of the energy function and classically restricted one-dimensional sums associated to tensor products of level-zero fundamental representations of quantum affine algebras in terms of Lakshmibai–Seshadri paths of level-zero shape.

We construct families of irreducible representations for a class of quantum groups Uq(fm(K,H). First, we realize these quantum groups as hyperbolic algebras. Such a realization yields natural families of irreducible weight representations for Uq(fm(K,H)). Second, we study the relationship between Uq(fm(K,H)) and Uq(fm(K)). As a result, any finite-dimensional weight representation of Uq(fm(K,H)) is proved to be completely reducible. Finally, we study the Whittaker model for the center of Uq(fm(K,H)), and a classification of all irreducible Whittaker representations of Uq(fm(K,H)) is obtained.

We present a superfield formulation of the chiral de Rham complex (CDR), as introduced by Malikov, Schechtman and Vaintrob in 1999, in the setting of a general smooth manifold, and use it to endow CDR with superconformal structures of geometric origin. Given a Riemannian metric, we construct an N=1 structure on CDR (action of the N=1 super-Virasoro, or Neveu–Schwarz, algebra). If the metric is Kähler, and the manifold Ricci-flat, this is augmented to an N=2 structure. Finally, if the manifold is hyperkähler, we obtain an N=4 structure. The superconformal structures are constructed directly from the Levi-Civita connection. These structures provide an analog for CDR of the extended supersymmetries of nonlinear σ-models.

Let G be a finite group, K a field, and V a finite-dimensional K G-module. Write L(V) for the free Lie algebra on V; similarly, let M ( V) be the free metabelian Lie algebra. The action of G extends naturally to these algebras, so they become KG-modules, which are direct sums of finite-dimensional submodules. This paper explores whether indecomposable direct summands of such a KG-module (for some specific choices of G, K and V) must fall into finitely many isomorphism classes. Of course this is not a question unless there exist infinitely many isomorphism classes of indecomposable KG-modules (that is, K has positive characteristic p and the Sylow p-subgroups of G are non-cyclic) and dim V > 1.

The first two results show that the answer is positive for M(V) when K is finite and dim V = 2, but negative when G is the Klein four-group, the characteristic of K is 2, and V is the unique 3-dimnsional submodule of the regular module D. In the third result, G is again the Klein four-group, K is any field of charateristic 2 with more than 2 elements, V is any faithfull module of dimension 2, and B is the unique 3-dimensional quotient of D; the answer is positive for L(V) if and only if it is positive for each of L(B), L(D), and L(V ⊗ V).

Let G be a finite p-group, and let M(G) be the subgroup generated by the non-central conjugacy classes of G of minimal size. We prove that this subgroup has class at most 3. A similar result is noted for nilpotent Lie algebras.

Let K be a field of characteristic 0, G the direct sum of two copies of the additive group of integers. For a total order ≺ on G, which is compatible with the addition, and for any ċ1, ċ2 ∈ K, we define G-graded highest weight modules M(ċ1, ċ2, ≺) over the Virasoro-like algebra , indexed by G. It is natural to call them Verma modules. In the present paper, the irreducibility of M (ċ1, ċ2, ≺) is completely determined and the structure of reducible module M (ċ1, ċ2, ≺)is also described.

A thin Lie algebra is a Lie algebra graded over the positive integers satisfying a certain narrowness condition. We describe several cyclic grading of the modular Hamiltonian Lie algebras H(2: n; ω2) (of dimension one less than a power of p) from which we construct infinite-dimensional thin Lie algebras. In the process we provide an explicit identification of H(2: n; ω2) with a Block algebra. We also compute its second cohomology group and its derivation algebra (in arbitrary prime characteristic).

Let ℋ(m;t) be the finite-dimensional odd Hamiltonian superalgebra over a field of prime characteristic. By determining ad-nilpotent elements in the even part, the natural filtration of ℋ (m;t) is proved to be invariant in the following sense: If ϕ: ℋ (m;t) → ℋ (m′t′) is an isomorphism then ϕ(ℋ(m;t)i) = ℋ (m′ t′) i for all i ≥ –1. Using the result, we complete the classification of odd Hamiltonian superalgebras. Finally, we determine the automorphism group of the restricted odd Hamiltonian superalgebra and give further properties.

Let L be a finite-dimensional Lie algebra over the field F. The Ado-Iwasawa Theorem asserts the existence of a finite-dimensional L-module which gives a faithful representation ρ of L. Let S be a subnormal subalgebra of L, let be a saturated formation of soluble Lie algebras and suppose that S ∈ . I show that there exists a module V with the extra property that it is -hypercentral as S-module. Further, there exists a module V which has this extra property simultaneously for every such S and , along with the Hochschild extra that ρ(x) is nilpotent for every x ∈ L with ad(x) nilpotent. In particular, if L is supersoluble, then it has a faithful representation by upper triangular matrices.

Let K be a field of prime characteristic p and let G be a finite group with a Sylow p-subgroup of order p. For any finite-dimensional K G-module V and any positive integer n, let Ln (V) denote the nth homogeneous component of the free Lie K-algebra generated by (a basis of) V. Then Ln(V) can be considered as a K G-module, called the nth Lie power of V. The main result of the paper is a formula which describes the module structure of Ln(V) up to isomorphism.

For each complex reductive dual pair introduced by R. Howe, this paper presents a formula for the central elements of the universal enveloping algebras given by I. M. Gelfand. This formula provides an explicit description of the correspondence between the ‘centers’ of the two universal enveloping algebras.

Following the analogy with group theory, we define the Wielandt subalgebra of a finite-dimensional Lie algebra to be the intersection of the normalisers of the subnormal subalgebras. In a non-zero algebra, this is a non-zero ideal if the ground field has characteristic 0 or if the derived algebra is nilpotent, allowing the definition of the Wielandt series. For a Lie algebra with nilpotent derived algebra, we obtain a bound for the derived length in terms of the Wielandt length and show this bound to be best possible. We also characterise the Lie algebras with nilpotent derived algebra and Wielandt length 2.

Let be a saturated formation of soluble Lie algebras over the field F, and let L ∈ . Let V and W be -hypercentral and -hyperexcentric L-modules respectively. Then V ⊗FW and HomF(V, W) are -hyperexcentric and Hn(L, W) = 0 for all n.

We construct the Weil representation of the Kantor-Koecher-Tits Lie algebra g associated to a simple real Jordan algebra V. Later we introduce a family of integral operators intertwining the Weil representation with the infinitesimal representations of the degenerate principal series of the conformal group G of the Jordan algebra V. The decomposition of L2(V) in the case of Jordan algebra of real square matrices is given using this construction.

We give some higher dimensional analogues of the Durfee square formula and point out their relation to dissections of multipartitions. We apply the results to write certain affine Lie algebra characters in terms of Universal Chiral Partition Functions.

An algebra A is homogeneous if the automorphism group of A acts transitively on the one dimensional subspaces of A. Suppose A is a homogeneous algebra over an infinite field k. Let La denote left multiplication by any nonzero element a ∈ A. Several results are proved concerning the structure of A in terms of La. In particular, it is shown that A decomposes as the direct sum A = ker La Im La. These results are then successfully applied to the problem of classifying the infinite homogeneous algebras of small dimension.

Let G be a finite group of order pk, where p is a prime and k ≥ 1, such that G is either cyclic, quaternion or generalised quaternion. Let V be a finite-dimensional free KG-module where K is a field of characteristic p. The Lie powers Ln(V) are naturally KG-modules and the main result identifies these modules up to isomorphism. There are only two isomorphism types of indecomposables occurring as direct summands of these modules, namely the regular KG-module and the indecomposable of dimension pk – pk−1 induced from the indecomposable K H-module of dimension p − 1, where H is the unique subgroup of G of order p. Formulae are given for the multiplicities of these indecomposables in Ln(V). This extends and utilises work of the first author and R. Stöhr concerned with the case where G has order p.

A cover for a group is a finite set of subgroups whose union is the whole group. A cover is minimal if its cardinality is minimal. Minimal covers of finite soluble groups are categorised; in particular all but at most one of their members are maximal subgroups. A characterisation is given of groups with minimal covers consisting of abelian subgroups.

We exhibit a variation of the Lazard Elimination theorem for free restricted Lie algebras, and apply it to two problems about finite group actions on free Lie algebras over fields of positive characteristic.