Vol 292, No 1 (2016)

Using the fact that absolute zero divisors in Jordan pairs become Lie sandwiches of the corresponding Tits–Kantor–Koecher Lie algebras, we prove local nilpotency of the McCrimmon radical of a Jordan system (algebra, triple system, or pair) over an arbitrary ring of scalars. As an application, we show that simple Jordan systems are always nondegenerate.

Representation and character varieties of the Baumslag–Solitar groups BS(p, q) are analyzed. Irreducible components of these varieties are found, and their dimension is calculated. It is proved that all irreducible components of the representation variety R_n(BS(p, q)) are rational varieties of dimension n², and each irreducible component of the character variety X_n(BS(p, q)) is a rational variety of dimension k ≤ n. The smoothness of irreducible components of the variety R_n^s (BS(p, q)) of irreducible representations is established, and it is proved that all irreducible components of the variety R_n^s (BS(p, q)) are isomorphic to A¹ {0}.

Let D be a central division algebra of degree n over a field K. One defines the genus gen(D) as the set of classes [D′] ∈ Br(K) in the Brauer group of K represented by central division algebras D′ of degree n over K having the same maximal subfields as D. We prove that if the field K is finitely generated and n is prime to its characteristic, then gen(D) is finite, and give explicit estimations of its size in certain situations.

Let G be a permutation group acting transitively on a finite set Ω. We classify all such (G, Ω) when G contains a single conjugacy class of derangements. This was done under the assumption that G acts primitively by Burness and Tong-Viet. It turns out that there are no imprimitive examples. We also discuss some results on the proportion of conjugacy classes which consist of derangements.

Let Γ_g,b denote the orientation-preserving mapping class group of a closed orientable surface of genus g with b punctures. For a group G let Φ_f(G) denote the intersection of all maximal subgroups of finite index in G. Motivated by a question of Ivanov as to whether Φ_f(G) is nilpotent when G is a finitely generated subgroup of Γ_g,b, in this paper we compute Φ_f(G) for certain subgroups of Γ_g,b. In particular, we answer Ivanov’s question in the affirmative for these subgroups of Γg,b.

We extend to global function fields some Hasse principles for homogeneous spaces of connected linear algebraic groups proved earlier by several authors in the case of number fields. We also give some applications.

For every algebraically closed field k of characteristic different from 2, we prove the following: (1) Finite-dimensional (not necessarily associative) k-algebras of general type of a fixed dimension, considered up to isomorphism, are parametrized by the values of a tuple of algebraically independent (over k) rational functions of the structure constants. (2) There exists an “algebraic normal form” to which the set of structure constants of every such algebra can be uniquely transformed by means of passing to its new basis—namely, there are two finite systems of nonconstant polynomials on the space of structure constants, {f_i}i∈I and {b_j}j∈J, such that the ideal generated by the set {f_i}i∈I is prime and, for every tuple c of structure constants satisfying the property b_j(c) ≠ 0 for all j ∈ J, there exists a unique new basis of this algebra in which the tuple c′ of its structure constants satisfies the property f_i(c′) = 0 for all i ∈ I.

The reducibility of the representation variety of a free abelian group of finite rank in a semisimple non-simply connected algebraic group is proved. Irreducible components of the representation variety of a free abelian group of rank 2 in groups of type A_n are described.

Let G be a real algebraic group, H ≤ G an algebraic subgroup containing a maximal reductive subgroup of G, and Γ a subgroup of G acting on G/H by left translations. We conjecture that Γ is virtually solvable provided its action on G/H is properly discontinuous and ΓG/H is compact, and we confirm this conjecture when G does not contain simple algebraic subgroups of rank ≥2. If the action of Γ on G/H (which is isomorphic to an affine linear space Aⁿ) is linear, our conjecture coincides with the Auslander conjecture. We prove the Auslander conjecture for n ≤ 5.