Ernst Dieterich

Trace Invariants of Finite-Dimensional Algebras

With every finite-dimensional algebra A over any field k we associate an 8-tuple of linear or bilinear forms on A, all of which are defined in terms of traces. For every groupoid 𝒞 formed by a class of k-algebras of fixed finite dimension, this passage is functorial and, when composed with any map that is constant on isoclasses, gives rise to an abundance of maps f: 𝒞 → I such that the fibres of f form a block decomposition of 𝒞. We study this decomposition for specific choices of 𝒞 and f, thereby putting established results from diverse algebraic theories into a unifying perspective, but also gaining new insight into classical groupoids of algebras such as associative unital algebras, division algebras, or composition algebras over general ground fields.