Alternativity and reciprocity in the Cayley-Dickson algebra

Abstract

We calculate the eigenvalue ρof the multiplication mapping R on the Cayley-Dickson algebra A_n. If the element in A_n is composed of a pair of alternative elements in A_{n-1}, half the eigenvectors of R in A_n are still eigenvectors in the subspace which is isomorphic to A_{n-1}. The invariant under the reciprocal transformation A_n \times A_{n} \ni (x,y) -> (-y,x) plays a fundamental role in simplifying the functional form of ρ. If some physical field can be identified with the eigenspace of R, with an injective map from the field to a scalar quantity (such as a mass) m, then there is a one-to-one map π: m \mapsto ρ. As an example, the electro-weak gauge field can be regarded as the eigenspace of R, where πimplies that the W-boson mass is less than the Z-boson mass, as in the standard model.