Associativity and the cosmash product in operadic varieties of algebras
arXiv:2206.12096 · doi:10.1215/00192082-10678862
Abstract
In this article, we characterise the operadic variety of commutative associative algebras over a field via a (categorical) condition: the associativity of the so-called cosmash product. This condition, which is closely related to commutator theory, is quite strong: for example, groups do not satisfy it. However, in the case of commutative associative algebras, the cosmash product is nothing more than the tensor product; which explains why in this case it is associative. We prove that in the setting of operadic varieties of algebras over a field, it is the only example. Further examples in the non-operadic case are also discussed.
Final accepted version; small changes throughout the text; 30 pages; ancillary files contain code used in generating equations