Tensor product of algebras

In mathematics, the tensor product of two algebras over a commutative ring R is also an R-algebra. This gives the tensor product of algebras. When the ring is a field, the most common application of such products is to describe the product of algebra representations.

Definition

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Let R be a commutative ring and let A and B be R-algebras. Since A and B may both be regarded as R-modules, their tensor product

 

is also an R-module. The tensor product can be given the structure of a ring by defining the product on elements of the form a ⊗ b by[1][2]

 

and then extending by linearity to all of AR B. This ring is an R-algebra, associative and unital with identity element given by 1A ⊗ 1B.[3] where 1A and 1B are the identity elements of A and B. If A and B are commutative, then the tensor product is commutative as well.

The tensor product turns the category of R-algebras into a symmetric monoidal category.[citation needed]

Further properties

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There are natural homomorphisms from A and B to A ⊗RB given by[4]

 
 

These maps make the tensor product the coproduct in the category of commutative R-algebras. The tensor product is not the coproduct in the category of all R-algebras. There the coproduct is given by a more general free product of algebras. Nevertheless, the tensor product of non-commutative algebras can be described by a universal property similar to that of the coproduct:

 

where [-, -] denotes the commutator. The natural isomorphism is given by identifying a morphism   on the left hand side with the pair of morphisms   on the right hand side where   and similarly  .

Applications

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The tensor product of commutative algebras is of frequent use in algebraic geometry. For affine schemes X, Y, Z with morphisms from X and Z to Y, so X = Spec(A), Y = Spec(R), and Z = Spec(B) for some commutative rings A, R, B, the fiber product scheme is the affine scheme corresponding to the tensor product of algebras:

 

More generally, the fiber product of schemes is defined by gluing together affine fiber products of this form.

Examples

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  • The tensor product can be used as a means of taking intersections of two subschemes in a scheme: consider the  -algebras  ,  , then their tensor product is  , which describes the intersection of the algebraic curves f = 0 and g = 0 in the affine plane over C.
  • More generally, if   is a commutative ring and   are ideals, then  , with a unique isomorphism sending   to  .
  • Tensor products can be used as a means of changing coefficients. For example,   and  .
  • Tensor products also can be used for taking products of affine schemes over a field. For example,   is isomorphic to the algebra   which corresponds to an affine surface in   if f and g are not zero.
  • Given  -algebras   and   whose underlying rings are graded-commutative rings, the tensor product   becomes a graded commutative ring by defining   for homogeneous  ,  ,  , and  .

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Kassel (1995), p. 32.
  2. ^ Lang 2002, pp. 629–630.
  3. ^ Kassel (1995), p. 32.
  4. ^ Kassel (1995), p. 32.

References

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  • Kassel, Christian (1995), Quantum groups, Graduate texts in mathematics, vol. 155, Springer, ISBN 978-0-387-94370-1.
  • Lang, Serge (2002) [first published in 1993]. Algebra. Graduate Texts in Mathematics. Vol. 21. Springer. ISBN 0-387-95385-X.