This book is a collection of research papers and surveys on algebra that were presented at the Conference on Groups, Rings, and Group Rings held in Ubatuba, Brazil. This text familiarizes researchers with the latest topics, techniques, and methodologies in several branches of contemporary algebra. With extensive coverage, it examines broad themes from group theory and ring theory, exploring their relationship with other branches of algebra including actions of Hopf algebras, groups of units of group rings, combinatorics of Young diagrams, polynomial identities, growth of algebras, and more. Featuring international contributions, this book is ideal for mathematicians specializing in these areas.

This volume contains the talks given at the INDAM workshop entitled "Polynomial identites in algebras", held in Rome in September 2019. The purpose of the book is to present the current state of the art in the theory of PI-algebras. The review of the classical results in the last few years has pointed out new perspectives for the development of the theory. In particular, the contributions emphasize on the computational and combinatorial aspects of the theory, its connection with invariant theory, representation theory, growth problems. It is addressed to researchers in the field.

A polynomial identity for an algebra (or a ring) $A$ is a polynomial in noncommutative variables that vanishes under any evaluation in $A$. An algebra satisfying a nontrivial polynomial identity is called a PI algebra, and this is the main object of study in this book, which can be used by graduate students and researchers alike. The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 contains foundational material on representation theory and noncommutative algebra. In addition to setting the stage for the rest of the book, this part can be used for an introductory course in noncommutative algebra. An expert reader may use Part 1 as reference and start with the main topics in the remaining parts. Part 2 discusses the combinatorial aspects of the theory, the growth theorem, and Shirshov's bases. Here methods of representation theory of the symmetric group play a major role. Part 3 contains the main body of structure theorems for PI algebras, theorems of Kaplansky and Posner, the theory of central polynomials, M. Artin's theorem on Azumaya algebras, and the geometric part on the variety of semisimple representations, including the foundations of the theory of Cayley-Hamilton algebras. Part 4 is devoted first to the proof of the theorem of Razmyslov, Kemer, and Braun on the nilpotency of the nil radical for finitely generated PI algebras over Noetherian rings, then to the theory of Kemer and the Specht problem. Finally, the authors discuss PI exponent and codimension growth. This part uses some nontrivial analytic tools coming from probability theory. The appendix presents the counterexamples of Golod and Shafarevich to the Burnside problem.

This book gives a state of the art approach to the study of polynomial identities satisfied by a given algebra by combining methods of ring theory, combinatorics, and representation theory of groups with analysis. The idea of applying analytical methods to the theory of polynomial identities appeared in the early 1970s and this approach has become one of the most powerful tools of the theory. A PI-algebra is any algebra satisfying at least one nontrivial polynomial identity.This includes the polynomial rings in one or several variables, the Grassmann algebra, finite-dimensional algebras, and many other algebras occurring naturally in mathematics. The core of the book is the proof that the sequence of co dimensions of any PI-algebra has integral exponential growth - the PI-exponent of the algebra. Later chapters further apply these results to subjects such as a characterization of varieties of algebras having polynomial growth and a classification of varieties that are minimal for a given exponent. Results are extended to graded algebras and algebras with involution. The book concludes with a study of the numerical invariants and their asymptotics in the class of Lie algebras. Even in algebras that are close to being associative, the behavior of the sequences of co dimensions can be wild. The material is suitable for graduate students and research mathematicians interested in polynomial identity algebras.

This book is a collection of research papers and surveys on algebra that were presented at the Conference on Groups, Rings, and Group Rings held in Ubatuba, Brazil. This text familiarizes researchers with the latest topics, techniques, and methodologies in several branches of contemporary algebra. With extensive coverage, it examines broad themes from group theory and ring theory, exploring their relationship with other branches of algebra including actions of Hopf algebras, groups of units of group rings, combinatorics of Young diagrams, polynomial identities, growth of algebras, and more. Featuring international contributions, this book is ideal for mathematicians specializing in these areas.