Generalized Onsager algebras

Abstract

Let $\mathfrak{g}(A)$ be the Kac-Moody algebra with respect to a symmetrizable generalized Cartan matrix $A$. We give an explicit presentation of the fix-point Lie subalgebra $\mathfrak{k}(A)$ of $\mathfrak{g}(A)$ with respect to the Chevalley involution. It is a presentation of $\mathfrak{k}(A)$ involving inhomogeneous versions of the Serre relations, or, from a different perspective, a presentation generalizing the Dolan-Grady presentation of the Onsager algebra. In the finite and untwisted affine case we explicitly compute the structure constants of $\mathfrak{k}(A)$ in terms of a Chevalley type basis of $\mathfrak{k}(A)$. For the symplectic Lie algebra and its untwisted affine extension we explicitly describe the one-dimensional representations of $\mathfrak{k}(A)$.