Let $\Theta =(\theta _{j,k})_{3\times 3}$ be a nondegenerate real skew-symmetric $3\times 3$ matrix, where $\theta _{j,k}\in [0,1).$ For any $\varepsilon>0$ , we prove that there exists $\delta>0$ satisfying the following: if $v_1,v_2,v_3$ are three unitaries in any unital simple separable $C^*$ -algebra A with tracial rank at most one, such that

$$\begin{align*}\|v_kv_j-e^{2\pi i \theta_{j,k}}v_jv_k\|<\delta \,\,\,\, \mbox{and}\,\,\,\, \frac{1}{2\pi i}\tau(\log_{\theta}(v_kv_jv_k^*v_j^*))=\theta_{j,k}\end{align*}$$

$\tau \in T(A)$

$j,k=1,2,3,$

$\log _{\theta }$

$\theta \in [0, 1)$

$\tilde {v}_1,\tilde {v}_2,\tilde {v}_3\in A$

$$\begin{align*}\tilde{v}_k\tilde{v}_j=e^{2\pi i\theta_{j,k} }\tilde{v}_j\tilde{v}_k\,\,\,\,\mbox{and}\,\,\,\,\|\tilde{v}_j-v_j\|<\varepsilon,\,\,j,k=1,2,3.\end{align*}$$

The same conclusion holds if $\Theta $ is rational or nondegenerate and A is a nuclear purely infinite simple $C^*$ -algebra (where the trace condition is vacuous).

If $\Theta $ is degenerate and A has tracial rank at most one or is nuclear purely infinite simple, we provide some additional injectivity conditions to get the above conclusion.

We study exceptional Jordan algebras and related exceptional group schemes over commutative rings from a geometric point of view, using appropriate torsors to parametrize and explain classical and new constructions, and proving that over rings, they give rise to nonisomorphic structures.

We begin by showing that isotopes of Albert algebras are obtained as twists by a certain $\mathrm F_4$ -torsor with total space a group of type $\mathrm E_6$ and, using this, that Albert algebras over rings in general admit nonisomorphic isotopes even in the split case, as opposed to the situation over fields. We then consider certain $\mathrm D_4$ -torsors constructed from reduced Albert algebras, and show how these give rise to a class of generalised reduced Albert algebras constructed from compositions of quadratic forms. Showing that this torsor is nontrivial, we conclude that the Albert algebra does not uniquely determine the underlying composition, even in the split case. In a similar vein, we show that a given reduced Albert algebra can admit two coordinate algebras which are nonisomorphic and have nonisometric quadratic forms, contrary, in a strong sense, to the case over fields, established by Albert and Jacobson.

The generalized Soulé character was introduced by H. Nakamura and Z. Wojtkowiak and is a generalization of Soulé’s cyclotomic character. In this paper, we prove that certain linear sums of generalized Soulé characters essentially coincide with the image of generalized Beilinson elements in K-groups under Soulé’s higher regulator maps. This result generalizes Huber–Wildeshaus’ theorem, which is a cyclotomic field case of our results, to an arbitrary number fields.

In the classical setting, a convex polytope is said to be semiregular if its facets are regular and its symmetry group is transitive on vertices. This paper continues our study of alternating semiregular abstract polytopes, which have abstract regular facets, still with combinatorial automorphism group transitive on vertices and with two kinds of regular facets occurring in an alternating fashion.

Our main concern here is the universal polytope ${\mathcal{U}}_{{\mathcal{P}},{\mathcal{Q}}}$, an alternating semiregular $(n+1)$-polytope defined for any pair of regular $n$-polytopes ${\mathcal{P}},{\mathcal{Q}}$ with isomorphic facets. After a careful look at the local structure of these objects, we develop the combinatorial machinery needed to explain how ${\mathcal{U}}_{{\mathcal{P}},{\mathcal{Q}}}$ can be constructed by “freely assembling” unlimited copies of ${\mathcal{P}}$, ${\mathcal{Q}}$ along their facets in alternating fashion. We then examine the connection group of ${\mathcal{U}}_{{\mathcal{P}},{\mathcal{Q}}}$, and from that prove that ${\mathcal{U}}_{{\mathcal{P}},{\mathcal{Q}}}$ covers any $(n+1)$-polytope ${\mathcal{B}}$ whose facets alternate in any way between various quotients of ${\mathcal{P}}$ or ${\mathcal{Q}}$.