Tensor Algebra

The tensor algebra also has a coalgebra structure.

''Note'': In this article, all algebras are assumed to be Unital and Associative .

CONSTRUCTION

Let ''V'' be a Vector Space over a Field ''K''. For any nonnegative Integer ''k'', we define the ''k''^th tensor power of ''V'' to be the Tensor Product of ''V'' with itself ''k'' times:
:

T^kV = V^{\otimes k} = V\otimes V \otimes \cdots \otimes V.

That is, ''T''^''k''''V'' consists of all tensors on ''V'' of Rank ''k''. By convention ''T''⁰''V'' is the ground field ''K'' (as a one-dimensional vector space over itself).

We then construct ''T''(''V'') as the Direct Sum of ''T''^''k''''V'' for ''k'' = 0,1,2,…
:

T(V)= \bigoplus_{k=0}^\infty T^kV = K\oplus V \oplus (V\otimes V) \oplus (V\otimes V\otimes V) \oplus \cdots.

The multiplication in ''T''(''V'') is determined by the canonical isomorphism
:

T^kV \otimes T^\ell V 	o T^{k + \ell}V

given by the tensor product, which is then extended by linearity to all of ''T''(''V''). This multiplication rule implies that the tensor algebra ''T''(''V'') is naturally a Graded Algebra with ''T''^''k''''V'' serving as the grade-''k'' subspace.

The construction generalizes in straightforward manner to the tensor algebra of any Module ''M'' over a ''commutative'' Ring . If ''R'' is a non-commutative Ring , one can still perform the construction for any ''R''-''R'' Bimodule ''M''. (It does not work for ordinary ''R''-modules because the iterated tensor products cannot be formed.)

ADJUNCTION AND UNIVERSAL PROPERTY

The tensor algebra ''T''(''V'') is also called the Free Algebra on the vector space ''V'', and is functorial. As with other Free Constructions , the functor ''T'' is Left Adjoint to some Forgetful Functor , here the functor which sends each ''K''-algebra to its underlying vector space.

Explicitly, the tensor algebra satisfies the following Universal Property , which formally expresses the statement that it is the most general algebra containing ''V'':
: Any from ''T''(''V'') to ''A'' as indicated by the following Commutative Diagram :

Here ''i'' is the canonical inclusion of ''V'' into ''T''(''V'') (the unit of the adjunction). One can, in fact, define the tensor algebra ''T''(''V'') as the unique algebra satisfying this property (specifically, it is unique Up To a unique isomorphism), but one must still prove that an object satisfying this property exists.

The above universal property shows that the construction of the tensor algebra is ''functorial'' in nature. That is, ''T'' is a Functor from the ''K''-Vect, Category Of Vector Spaces over ''K'', to '''''K''-Alg''', the category of ''K''-algebras. The functoriality of ''T'' means that any linear map from ''V'' to ''W'' extends uniquely to an algebra homomorphism from ''T''(''V'') to ''T''(''W'').

NON-COMMUTATIVE POLYNOMIALS

If ''V'' has finite dimension ''n'', another way of looking at the tensor algebra is as the "algebra of polynomials over ''K'' in ''n'' non-commuting variables". If we take Basis Vector s for ''V'', those become non-commuting variables (or ''indeterminants'') in ''T''(''V''), subject to no constraints (beyond Associativity , the Distributive Law and ''K''-linearity).

): a (homogeneous) linear function on ''V'' is an element of $V^---$ .

QUOTIENTS

Because of the generality of the tensor algebra, many other algebras of interest can be constructed by starting with the tensor algebra and then imposing certain relations on the generators, i.e. by constructing certain Quotient Algebra s of ''T''(''V''). Examples of this are the Exterior Algebra , the Symmetric Algebra , Clifford Algebra s and Universal Enveloping Algebra s.

COALGEBRA STRUCTURE

The Coalgebra structure on the tensor algebra is given by:
:

\Delta(v_1 \otimes \dots \otimes v_m ) := \bigoplus_{i=1}^{m-1}
(v_1 \otimes \dots \otimes v_i) \otimes (v_{i+1} \otimes \dots \otimes v_m)

Note that

TV 	o TV \otimes TV

respects the grading:

T^mV 	o \bigoplus_{i+j=m} T^iV \otimes T^jV

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Tensor Algebra