English

Cluster algebras and derived categories

Representation Theory 2012-03-14 v4 Combinatorics Quantum Algebra

Abstract

This is an introductory survey on cluster algebras and their (additive) categorification using derived categories of Ginzburg algebras. After a gentle introduction to cluster combinatorics, we review important examples of coordinate rings admitting a cluster algebra structure. We then present the general definition of a cluster algebra and describe the interplay between cluster variables, coefficients, c-vectors and g-vectors. We show how c-vectors appear in the study of quantum cluster algebras and their links to the quantum dilogarithm. We then present the framework of additive categorification of cluster algebras based on the notion of quiver with potential and on the derived category of the associated Ginzburg algebra. We show how the combinatorics introduced previously lift to the categorical level and how this leads to proofs, for cluster algebras associated with quivers, of some of Fomin-Zelevinsky's fundamental conjectures.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1202.4161,
  title  = {Cluster algebras and derived categories},
  author = {Bernhard Keller},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1202.4161},
  year   = {2012}
}

Comments

60 pages, submitted to the proceedings of the GCOE conference "Derived categories 2011 Tokyo"; v2: Example 4.3 corrected (many thanks to B. Leclerc); v3: references updated; v4: end of section 3.2 corrected and completed

R2 v1 2026-06-21T20:21:43.016Z