Generalized Jordan algebras

Abstract

We study commutative algebras which are generalizations of Jordan algebras. The associator is defined as usual by (x, y, z) = (x y)z - x(y z). The Jordan identity is (x2, y, x) = 0. In the three generalizations given below, t, β, and γare scalars. ((x x)y)x + t((x x)x)y = 0, ((x x)x)(y x) - (((x x)x)y)x = 0, β((x x)y)x + γ((x x)x)y - (β + γ)((y x)x)x = 0. We show that with the exception of a few values of the parameters, the first implies both the second and the third. The first is equivalent to the combination of ((x x)x)x = 0 and the third. We give examples to show that our results are in some reasonable sense, the best possible. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.