Cartan Calculus for Hopf Algebras and Quantum Groups

Abstract

A generalization of the differential geometry of forms and vector fields to the case of quantum Lie algebras is given. In an abstract formulation that incorporates many existing examples of differential geometry on quantum groups, we combine an exterior derivative, inner derivations, Lie derivatives, forms and functions all into one big algebra. In particular we find a generalized Cartan identity that holds on the whole quantum universal enveloping algebra of the left-invariant vector fields and implicit commutation relations for a left-invariant basis of 1-forms.