) ?: B ? B ? B (equivalent to K-multilinear map ?: B � B ? B) and (unit) ?: K ?

B, such that (B, ?, ?) is a unital associative algebra;

there are K-linear maps (comultiplication) ?: B ? B ? B and (counit) e: B ? K,
such that (B, ?, e) is a (counital coassociative) coalgebra;
compatibility conditions expressed by the following commutative diagrams:

Multiplication ? and comultiplication ?[1]

Bialgebra commutative diagrams

where t: B ? B ? B ? B is the linear map defined by t(x ? y) = y ? x for

all x and y in B,

Multiplication ? and counit e

Bialgebra commutative diagrams

Comultiplication ? and unit ?[2]

Bialgebra commutative diagrams

Unit ? and counit e

Bialgebra commutative diagrams

Coassociativity and counit

The K-linear map ?: B ? B ? B is coassociative if ( i d B ? ? ) � ? = ( ? ? i d B )

� ? {\displaystyle (\mathrm {id} _{B}\otimes \Delta )\circ \Delta =(\Delta \
otimes \mathrm {id} _{B})\circ \Delta } ({\mathrm {id}}_{B}\otimes \Delta )\circ \
Delta =(\Delta \otimes {\mathrm {id}}_{B})\circ \Delta .

The K-linear map e: B ? K is a counit if ( i d B ? ? ) � ? = i d B = ( ? ? i d B )

� ? {\displaystyle (\mathrm {id} _{B}\otimes \epsilon )\circ \Delta =\mathrm {id}
_{B}=(\epsilon \otimes \mathrm {id} _{B})\circ \Delta } ({\mathrm {id}}_{B}\
otimes \epsilon )\circ \Delta ={\mathrm {id}}_{B}=(\epsilon \otimes {\mathrm
{id}}_{B})\circ \Delta .

Coassociativity and counit are expressed by the commutativity of the following two
diagrams (they are the duals of the diagrams expressing associativity and unit of
an algebra):
Bialgebra Diagram.svg
Compatibility conditions

The four commutative diagrams can be read either as "comultiplication and counit
are homomorphisms of algebras" or, equivalently, "multiplication and unit are
homomorphisms of coalgebras".

These statements are meaningful once we explain the natural structures of algebra
and coalgebra in all the vector spaces involved besides B: (K, ?0, ?0) is a unital
associative algebra in an obvious way and (B ? B, ?2, ?2) is a unital associative
algebra with unit and multiplication

? 2 := ( ? ? ? ) : K ? K = K ? ( B ? B ) {\displaystyle \eta _{2}:=(\eta \

otimes \eta ):K\otimes K\equiv K\to (B\otimes B)} \eta _{2}:=(\eta \otimes \
eta ):K\otimes K\equiv K\to (B\otimes B)
? 2 := ( ? ? ? ) � ( i d ? t ? i d ) : ( B ? B ) ? ( B ? B ) ? ( B ? B ) {\
displaystyle \nabla _{2}:=(\nabla \otimes \nabla )\circ (id\otimes \tau \otimes
id):(B\otimes B)\otimes (B\otimes B)\to (B\otimes B)} \nabla _{2}:=(\nabla \
otimes \nabla )\circ (id\otimes \tau \otimes id):(B\otimes B)\otimes (B\otimes B)\
to (B\otimes B),

so that ? 2 ( ( x 1 ? x 2 ) ? ( y 1 ? y 2 ) ) = ? ( x 1 ? y 1 ) ? ? ( x 2 ? y 2 )
{\displaystyle \nabla _{2}((x_{1}\otimes x_{2})\otimes (y_{1}\otimes y_{2}))=\nabla
(x_{1}\otimes y_{1})\otimes \nabla (x_{2}\otimes y_{2})} \nabla _{2}((x_{1}\otimes
x_{2})\otimes (y_{1}\otimes y_{2}))=\nabla (x_{1}\otimes y_{1})\otimes \nabla
(x_{2}\otimes y_{2}) or, omitting ? and writing multiplication as juxtaposition,
( x 1 ? x 2 ) ( y 1 ? y 2 ) = x 1 y 1 ? x 2 y 2 {\displaystyle (x_{1}\otimes x_{2})
(y_{1}\otimes y_{2})=x_{1}y_{1}\otimes x_{2}y_{2}} (x_{1}\otimes x_{2})(y_{1}\
otimes y_{2})=x_{1}y_{1}\otimes x_{2}y_{2};

similarly, (K, ?0, e0) is a coalgebra in an obvious way and B ? B is a coalgebra

with counit and comultiplication

? 2 := ( ? ? ? ) : ( B ? B ) ? K ? K = K {\displaystyle \epsilon _{2}:=(\

epsilon \otimes \epsilon ):(B\otimes B)\to K\otimes K\equiv K} \epsilon _{2}:=(\
epsilon \otimes \epsilon ):(B\otimes B)\to K\otimes K\equiv K
? 2 := ( i d ? t ? i d ) � ( ? ? ? ) : ( B ? B ) ? ( B ? B ) ? ( B ? B ) {\
displaystyle \Delta _{2}:=(id\otimes \tau \otimes id)\circ (\Delta \otimes \
Delta ):(B\otimes B)\to (B\otimes B)\otimes (B\otimes B)} \Delta _{2}:=(id\otimes \
tau \otimes id)\circ (\Delta \otimes \Delta ):(B\otimes B)\to (B\otimes B)\otimes
(B\otimes B).

Then, diagrams 1 and 3 say that ?: B ? B ? B is a homomorphism of unital

(associative) algebras (B, ?, ?) and (B ? B, ?2, ?2)

? � ? = ? 2 � ( ? ? ? ) : ( B ? B ) ? ( B ? B ) {\displaystyle \Delta \circ \

nabla =\nabla _{2}\circ (\Delta \otimes \Delta ):(B\otimes B)\to (B\otimes B)} \
Delta \circ \nabla =\nabla _{2}\circ (\Delta \otimes \Delta ):(B\otimes B)\to (B\
otimes B), or simply ?(xy) = ?(x) ?(y),
? � ? = ? 2 : K ? ( B ? B ) {\displaystyle \Delta \circ \eta =\eta _{2}:K\to
(B\otimes B)} \Delta \circ \eta =\eta _{2}:K\to (B\otimes B), or simply ?(1B) =
1B ? B;

diagrams 2 and 4 say that e: B ? K is a homomorphism of unital (associative)

algebras (B, ?, ?) and (K, ?0, ?0):

? � ? = ? 0 � ( ? ? ? ) : ( B ? B ) ? K {\displaystyle \epsilon \circ \nabla =\

nabla _{0}\circ (\epsilon \otimes \epsilon ):(B\otimes B)\to K} \epsilon \circ \
nabla =\nabla _{0}\circ (\epsilon \otimes \epsilon ):(B\otimes B)\to K, or simply
e(xy) = e(x) e(y)
? � ? = ? 0 : K ? K {\displaystyle \epsilon \circ \eta =\eta _{0}:K\to K} \
epsilon \circ \eta =\eta _{0}:K\to K, or simply e(1B) = 1K.

Equivalently, diagrams 1 and 2 say that ?: B ? B ? B is a homomorphism of (counital

coassociative) coalgebras (B ? B, ?2, e2) and (B, ?, e):

? ? ? � ? 2 = ? � ? : ( B ? B ) ? ( B ? B ) , {\displaystyle \nabla \otimes \

nabla \circ \Delta _{2}=\Delta \circ \nabla :(B\otimes B)\to (B\otimes B),} \
nabla \otimes \nabla \circ \Delta _{2}=\Delta \circ \nabla :(B\otimes B)\to (B\
otimes B),
? 0 � ? 2 = ? � ? : ( B ? B ) ? K {\displaystyle \nabla _{0}\circ \epsilon
_{2}=\epsilon \circ \nabla :(B\otimes B)\to K} {\displaystyle \nabla _{0}\circ \
epsilon _{2}=\epsilon \circ \nabla :(B\otimes B)\to K};

diagrams 3 and 4 say that ?: K ? B is a homomorphism of (counital coassociative)

coalgebras (K, ?0, e0) and (B, ?, e):
 ? 2 � ? 0 = ? � ? : K ? ( B ? B ) , {\displaystyle \eta _{2}\circ \Delta _{0}=\
Delta \circ \eta :K\to (B\otimes B),} {\displaystyle \eta _{2}\circ \Delta _{0}=\
Delta \circ \eta :K\to (B\otimes B),}
? 0 � ? 0 = ? � ? : K ? K {\displaystyle \eta _{0}\circ \epsilon _{0}=\
epsilon \circ \eta :K\to K} {\displaystyle \eta _{0}\circ \epsilon _{0}=\epsilon \
circ \eta :K\to K},

where

? 0 = ? � ? {\displaystyle \epsilon _{0}=\epsilon \circ \eta } {\displaystyle \

epsilon _{0}=\epsilon \circ \eta }.

Examples
Group bialgebra

An example of a bialgebra is the set of functions from a group G (or more

generally, any monoid) to R {\displaystyle \mathbb {R} } \mathbb {R} , which we may
represent as a vector space R G {\displaystyle \mathbb {R} ^{G}} {\mathbb R}^{G}
consisting of linear combinations of standard basis vectors eg for each g ? G,
which may represent a probability distribution over G in the case of vectors whose
coefficients are all non-negative and sum to 1. An example of suitable
comultiplication operators and counits which yield a counital coalgebra are

? ( e g ) = e g ? e g , {\displaystyle \Delta (\mathbf {e} _{g})=\mathbf {e}

_{g}\otimes \mathbf {e} _{g}\,,} \Delta ({\mathbf e}_{g})={\mathbf e}_{g}\otimes {\
mathbf e}_{g}\,,

which represents making a copy of a random variable (which we extend to all R G {\

displaystyle \mathbb {R} ^{G}} {\mathbb R}^{G} by linearity), and

e ( e g ) = 1 , {\displaystyle \varepsilon (\mathbf {e} _{g})=1\,,} \varepsilon

({\mathbf e}_{g})=1\,,

(again extended linearly to all of R G {\displaystyle \mathbb {R} ^{G}} {\mathbb

R}^{G}) which represents "tracing out" a random variable � i.e., forgetting the
value of a random variable (represented by a single tensor factor) to obtain a
marginal distribution on the remaining variables (the remaining tensor factors).
Given the interpretation of (?,e) in terms of probability distributions as above,
the bialgebra consistency conditions amount to constraints on (?,?) as follows:

? is an operator preparing a normalized probability distribution which is

independent of all other random variables;
The product ? maps a probability distribution on two variables to a probability
distribution on one variable;
Copying a random variable in the distribution given by ? is equivalent to
having two independent random variables in the distribution ?;
Taking the product of two random variables, and preparing a copy of the
resulting random variable, has the same distribution as preparing copies of each
random variable independently of one another, and multiplying them together in
pairs.

A pair (?,?) which satisfy these constraints are the convolution operator

? ( e g ? e h ) = e g h , {\displaystyle \nabla {\bigl (}\mathbf {e} _{g}\

otimes \mathbf {e} _{h}{\bigr )}=\mathbf {e} _{gh}\,,} \nabla {\bigl (}{\mathbf
e}_{g}\otimes {\mathbf e}_{h}{\bigr )}={\mathbf e}_{{gh}}\,,

again extended to all R G ? R G {\displaystyle \mathbb {R} ^{G}\otimes \mathbb {R}

^{G}} {\mathbb R}^{G}\otimes {\mathbb R}^{G} by linearity; this produces a
normalized probability distribution from a distribution on two random variables,
and has as a unit the delta-distribution ? = e i , {\displaystyle \eta =\mathbf {e}
_{i}\;,} \eta ={\mathbf e}_{{i}}\;, where i ? G denotes the identity element of the
group G.
Other examples

Other examples of bialgebras include the tensor algebra, which can be made into a
bialgebra by adding the appropriate comultiplication and counit; these are worked
out in detail in that article.

Bialgebras can often be extended to Hopf algebras, if an appropriate antipode can

be found. Thus, all Hopf algebras are examples of bialgebras.[3] Similar structures
with different compatibility between the product and comultiplication, or different
types of multiplication and comultiplication, include Lie bialgebras and Frobenius
algebras. Additional examples are given in the article on coalgebras.
See also

Quasi-bialgebra

Notes