The Socle of a Metric n-Lie Algebra

Abstract

We define the socle of an n-Lie algebra as the sum of all the minimal ideals. An n-Lie algebra is called metric if it is endowed with an invariant nondegenerate symmetric bilinear form. We characterize the socle of a metric n-Lie algebra, which is closely related to the radical and the center of the metric n-Lie algebra. In particular, the socle of a metric n-Lie algebra is reductive, and a metric n-Lie algebra is solvable if and only if the socle coincides with its center. We also calculate the metric dimensions of simple and reductive n-Lie algebras and give a lower bound in the nonreductive case.