Quadri-algebras

We introduce the notion of quadri-algebras. These are associative algebras for which the multiplication can be decomposed as the sum of four operations in a certain coherent manner. We present several examples of quadri-algebras: the algebra of permutations, the shuffle algebra, tensor products of dendriform algebras. We show that a pair of commuting Baxter operators on an associative algebra gives rise to a canonical quadri-algebra structure on the underlying space of the algebra. The main example is provided by the algebra End(A) of linear endomorphisms of an infinitesimal bialgebra A. This algebra carries a canonical pair of commuting Baxter operators: beta(T) = T * id and gamma(T) = id * T, where * denotes the convolution of endomorphisms. It follows that End(A) is a quadri-algebra, whenever A is an infinitesimal bialgebra. We also discuss commutative quadri-algebras and state some conjectures on the free quadri-algebra. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.