This paper is concerned with the description of exceptional simple Lie algebras as octonionic analogues of the classical matrix Lie algebras. We review the Tits-Freudenthal construction of the magic square, which includes the exceptional Lie algebras as the octonionic case of a construction in terms of a Jordan algebra of hermitian 3x3 matrices (Tits) or various plane and other geometries (Freudenthal). We present alternative constructions of the magic square which explain its symmetry, and show explicitly how the use of split composition algebras leads to analogues of the matrix Lie algebras su(3), sl(3) and sp(6). We adapt the magic square construction to include analogues of su(2), sl(2) and sp(4) for all real division algebras.
A unified treatment of the $2 \times 2$ analog of the Freudenthal-Tits magic square of Lie groups is given, providing an explicit representation in terms of matrix groups over composition algebras.
The Lie superalgebras in the extended Freudenthal Magic Square in characteristic 3 are shown to be related to some known simple Lie superalgebras, specific to this characteristic, constructed in terms of orthogonal and symplectic triple systems, which are defined in terms of central simple degree three Jordan algebras.
We show the 3 by 3 magic square of squares problem equivalent to solving quartic polynomials with certain factorization constraints over an abelian extension of the rationals. We analyze a particular case in which said extension is assumed to be the Gaussian integers resulting a new search method. Additionally, the magic square of squares is analyzed over finite fields and rings of the form Z/nZ resulting in some conjectures enumerating the rings and finite fields in which a magic square of squares can be constructed. Code is made available.
Associated to any complex simple Lie algebra is a non-reductive complex Lie algebra which we call the intermediate Lie algebra. We propose that these algebras can be included in both the magic square and the magic triangle to give an additional row and column. The extra row and column in the magic square corresponds to the sextonions. This is a six dimensional subalgebra of the split octonions which contains the split quaternions.
Freudenthal's Magic Square, which in characteristic 0 contains the exceptional Lie algebras other than G2, is extended over fields of characteristic 3, through the use of symmetric composition superalgebras, to a larger square that contains both Lie algebras and superalgebras. With one exception, the simple Lie superalgebras that appear have no counterpart in characteristic 0.
The construction of Freudenthal's Magic Square, which contains the exceptional simple Lie algebras, in terms of symmetric composition algebras is further developed here. The para-Hurwitz algebras, which form a subclass of the symmetric composition algebras, will be defined, in the split case, in terms of the natural two dimensional module for the simple Lie algebra sl(2). As a consequence, it will be shown how all the Lie algebras in Freudenthal's Magic Square can be constructed, in a unified way, using copies of sl(2) and of its natural module.
We give a unified description of D = 3 super-Yang-Mills theory with N = 1, 2, 4, and 8 supersymmeties in terms of the four division algebras: reals (R), complexes (C), quaternions (H) and octonions (O). Tensoring left and right super-Yang-Mills multiplets with N = 1, 2, 4, 8 we obtain a magic square RR, CR, CC, HR, HC, HH, OR, OC, OH, OO description of D = 3 supergravity with N = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 16.
An improved (streamlined and extended) version of this paper is available as math.RA/0203010, which however omits some details. We recommend the later version unless details are essential.
It is known that semi-magic square matrices form a 2-graded algebra or superalgebra with the even and odd subspaces under centre-point reflection symmetry as the two components. We show that other symmetries which have been studied for square matrices give rise to similar superalgebra structures, pointing to novel symmetry types in their complementary parts. In particular, this provides a unifying framework for the composite `most perfect square' symmetry and the related class of `reversible squares'; moreover, the semi-magic square algebra is identified as part of a 2-gradation of the general…
Using a unified formulation of $\mathcal{N} = 1, 2, 4, 8$, super Yang-Mills theories in $D = 3$ spacetime dimensions with fields valued respectively in $\mathbb{R, C, H, O}$, it was shown that tensoring left and right multiplets yields a Freudenthal magic square of $D = 3$ supergravities. When tied in with the more familiar $\mathbb{R, C, H, O}$ description of super Yang-Mills in $D = 3, 4, 6, 10$ this results in a magic pyramid of supergravities: the known $4 \times 4$ magic square at the base in $D=3$, a $3\times 3$ square in $D=4$, a $2 \times 2$ square in $D=6$ and Type II supergravity at …
We introduce and start investigating the properties of countably infinite, periodic chains of finite dimensional generalizations of the exceptional Lie algebras: each exceptional Lie algebra (but $\mathbf{g}_{2}$) is part of an infinite family of finite dimensional algebras, which we name "Magic Star" algebras. These algebras have remarkable similarities with many characterizing features of the exceptional Lie algebras.
We continue the study of Exceptional Periodicity and Magic Star algebras, which provide non-Lie, countably infinite chains of finite dimensional generalizations of exceptional Lie algebras. We analyze the graded algebraic structures arising in the Magic Star projection, as well as the Hermitian part of rank-3 Vinberg's matrix algebras (which we dub HT-algebras), occurring on each vertex of the Magic Star.
Satake diagrams of the real forms $ \mathfrak{e}_{6,-26}$, $ \mathfrak{e}_{6,-14}$ and $ \mathfrak{e}_{6,2}$ are carefully developed. The first real form is constructed with an Albert algebra and the other ones by using the two paraoctonion algebras and certain symmetric construction of the magic square.
Starting from the Jordan algebraic interpretation of the "Magic Star" embedding within the exceptional sequence of simple Lie algebras, we exploit the so-called spin factor embedding of rank-3 Jordan algebras and its consequences on the Jordan algebraic Lie symmetries, in order to provide another perspective on the origin of the "Exceptional Periodicity" (EP) and its "Magic Star" structure. We also highlight some properties of the special class of Vinberg's rank-3 (dubbed exceptional) T-algebras, appearing on the tips of the "Magic Star" projection of EP(-generalized, finite-dimensional, excep…
Our main aim is to provide a uniform geometric characterization of the analogues over arbitrary fields of the four complex Severi varieties, i.e.~the quadric Veronese varieties in 5-dimensional projective spaces, the Segre varieties in 8-di\-men\-sional projective spaces, the line Grassmannians in 14-dimensional projective spaces, and the exceptional varieties of type $\mathsf{E}_{6}$ in 26-dimensional projective space. Our theorem can be regarded as a far-reaching generalization of Mazzocca and Melone's approach to finite quadric Veronesean varieties. This approach takes projective properties…
By formulating N = 1, 2, 4, 8, D = 3, Yang-Mills with a single Lagrangian and single set of transformation rules, but with fields valued respectively in R,C,H,O, it was recently shown that tensoring left and right multiplets yields a Freudenthal-Rosenfeld-Tits magic square of D = 3 supergravities. This was subsequently tied in with the more familiar R,C,H,O description of spacetime to give a unified division-algebraic description of extended super Yang-Mills in D = 3, 4, 6, 10. Here, these constructions are brought together resulting in a magic pyramid of supergravities. The base of the pyrami…
We introduce the extended Freudenthal-Rosenfeld-Tits magic square based on six algebras: the reals $\mathbb{R}$, complexes $\mathbb{C}$, ternions $\mathbb{T}$, quaternions $\mathbb{H}$, sextonions $\mathbb{S}$ and octonions $\mathbb{O}$. The ternionic and sextonionic rows/columns of the magic square yield non-reductive Lie algebras, including $\mathfrak{e}_{7\scriptscriptstyle{\frac{1}{2}}}$. It is demonstrated that the algebras of the extended magic square appear quite naturally as the symmetries of supergravity Lagrangians. The sextonionic row (for appropriate choices of real forms) gives th…
In his study on the geometry of Lie groups, Rosenfeld postulated a strict relation between all real forms of exceptional Lie groups and the isometries of projective and hyperbolic spaces over the (rank-2) tensor product of Hurwitz algebras taken with appropriate conjugations. Unfortunately, the procedure carried out by Rosenfeld was not rigorous, since many of the theorems he had been using do not actually hold true in the case of algebras that are not alternative nor power-associative. A more rigorous approach to the definition of all the planes presented more than thirty years ago by Rosenfe…
We present a periodic infinite chain of finite generalisations of the exceptional structures, including the exceptional Lie algebra $\mathbf{e_8}$, the exceptional Jordan algebra (and pair) and the octonions. We will also argue on the nature of space-time and indicate how these algebraic structures may inspire a new way of going beyond the current knowledge of fundamental physics.
