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Separability Idempotents and Multiplier Algebras

Consider two non-degenerate algebras B and C over the complex numbers. We study a certain class of idempotent elements E in the multiplier algebra of the tensor product of B with C, called separability idempotents. The conditions include the existence of non-degenerate anti-homomorphisms from B to M(C) and from C to M(B), the multiplier algebras of C and B respectively. They are called the antipodal maps. There also exist what we call distinguished linear functionals. They are unique and faithful in the regular case. The notion is more restrictive than what is generally considered in the case of (finite-dimensional) algebras with identity. The separability idempotents we consider in this paper are of a Frobenius type. It seems to be quite natural to consider this type of separability idempotents in the case of non-degenerate algebras possibly without an identity. One example is coming from a discrete quantum group A. Here we take B=C=A and E is the image under the coproduct of h, where h is the normalized cointegral. The antipodal maps coincide with the original antipode and the distinguished linear functionals are the integrals. Another example is obtained from a weak multiplier Hopf algebra A. Now B and C are the images of the source and target maps. For E we take the canonical idempotent. Again the antipodal maps come from the antipode of the weak multiplier Hopf algebra. These two examples have motivated the study of separability idempotents as used in this paper. We use the separability idempotent to study modules over the base algebras B and C. In the regular case, we obtain a structure theorem for these algebras.