Some applications of Frobenius algebras to Hopf algebras

Abstract

This expository article presents a unified ring theoretic approach, based on the theory of Frobenius algebras, to a variety of results on Hopf algebras. These include a theorem of S. Zhu on the degrees of irreducible representations, the so-called class equation, the determination of the semisimplicity locus of the Grothendieck ring, the spectrum of the adjoint class and a non-vanishing result for the adjoint character.