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Let $A \subseteq B$ be two (associative with $1$) $k$-algebras, where $k$ is a field of characteristic zero, and let $f$ be a $k$-automorphism of $A$.

I am interested to know 'when' one can extend $f$ to a $k$-automorphism of $B$.

Three nice answers: (1) This question deals with $C^*$-algebras. (2) This paper deals with extending involutions on Frobenius algebras. (3) A counter-example for Boolean algebras.

Since my question is too general, I do not mind to concentrate on commutative algebras only (which are not fields), and $f$ of finite order (for example, $f$ is an involution, namely, of order $2$).

Thank you very much for any comment.

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    $\begingroup$ I do not know the answer but i think your question is intimately connected to mathoverflow.net/q/111881/85967. $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 24, 2017 at 0:10
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    $\begingroup$ Easier and more explicit: if $A\subset B=A[1/u]$, then an automorphism of $A$ extending to $B$ implies geometrically that it corresponds to an automorphism of variety stabilizing the zero locus of $f$. This yields to an obvious example: the automorphism $t\mapsto 1-t$ (of order 2) of $R[t]$ ($R$ any nonzero commutative ground ring, where we work in $R$-algebras) does not extend to $R[t,t^{-1}]$ (direct argument: because in the large ring $t$ is invertible but not $1-t$). $\endgroup$
    – YCor
    Commented Mar 24, 2017 at 1:06
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    $\begingroup$ Here's one localization where $f$ extends to an endomorphism but not an automorphism: assume that $R$ is a domain of characteristic zero, and consider the inclusion $A=R[t]\subset B=S^{-1}R[t]$, where $S=\{t+n:n\ge 0\}$. Then $f:t\mapsto t+1$ extends from $A$ to $B$, but the unique extension is not surjective, since $t^{-1}$ is not in the image. $\endgroup$
    – YCor
    Commented Mar 24, 2017 at 1:23
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    $\begingroup$ Simpler (but not domains): $k\times k\subset k\times k[t]$: the flip (of order 2) extends to an endomorphism, but not to an automorphism. $\endgroup$
    – YCor
    Commented Mar 24, 2017 at 1:28
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    $\begingroup$ Even for finite field extensions of $k = \mathbb Q$ there are counterexamples! For example, the conjugation on $\mathbb Q(\sqrt{2})$ cannot be extended to an automorphism of $\mathbb Q(\sqrt[4]{2})$, since $\sqrt{2}$ is a square in the latter but $-\sqrt{2}$ isn't (e.g. use a real embedding $\mathbb Q(\sqrt[4]{2}) \to \mathbb R$ to see this). $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 24, 2017 at 3:22

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The short answer to your question is: almost never. Many counterexamples have already been constructed in the comments. Let me make another easy counterexample:

Example. Let $k$ be algebraically closed, and let $A = k[t]$, $B = k[\sqrt{t}] = k[x]$. Consider the automorphism $t \mapsto t+1$ of $A$. It cannot be extended to $B$, since $t+1$ is not a square in $B$ (equivalently, $x^2 + 1$ is not a square in $k[x]$).

Example. Similarly, the automorphism $t \mapsto t+1$ of $k(t)$ cannot be extended to $k(\sqrt{t})$. Thus, even for a finite extension of fields containing an algebraically closed field $k$, it is false in general.

Remark. This example is actually rather instructive, because $k[t]$ has many automorphisms: any $a,b \in k$ with $a \neq 0$ give rise to the automorphism $t \mapsto at + b$. When $b \neq 0$, this cannot be extended to $k[\sqrt{t}]$.

Similarly, the automorphisms of $k(t)$ over $k$ are given by $PGL_2(k)$. Indeed, automorphisms of $k(t)$ are the same thing as automorphisms of $\mathbb P^1$, since the category of transcendence degree $1$ field extensions of $k$ is equivalent to the category of smooth projective curves over $k$ with surjective maps.

Clearly a necessary criterion for an automorphism of $\mathbb P^1$ to extend to the double cover $\mathbb P^1 \to \mathbb P^1$ is that it preserves the branch locus $\{[0:1],[1:0]\}$. The only matrices that do this are $$\pmatrix{a & b\\c & d} \in PGL_2(k)$$ with either $b = c = 0$ or $a = d = 0$. This corresponds to the automorphisms $t \mapsto \lambda t$ or $t \mapsto \lambda t^{-1}$. Another way to see this is by letting the automorphism act on the complement $\mathbb A^1\setminus\{0\}$ of $\{[0:1],[1:0]\}$. This is given by $k[t,t^{-1}]$, and an endomorphism must map $t$ to an invertible element, i.e. to some $\lambda t^k$. It's an automorphism iff $k = \pm 1$.

Finally, these do indeed extend to automorphisms of the overlying $\mathbb P^1$, by $x \mapsto \sqrt{\lambda}\cdot x^{\pm 1}$. But this is really just a coincidence:

Remark. For a morphism of curves $C \to D$ and an automorphism $\phi$ of $D$, it is not in general sufficient for $\phi$ to fix the branch locus in order for it to lift to an automorphism of $C$. For example, let $C$ be a general curve of genus $\geq 3$. Then $C$ has no nontrivial automorphisms; see e.g. the various answers to this question. In particular, we can choose such $C$ to be defined over $\bar{\mathbb Q}$.

But if $C$ is defined over $\bar {\mathbb Q}$, then Belyi's theorem it admits a map to $\mathbb P^1$ ramified at three points only. (It should in principle be possible to write down an explicit example of a curve admitting a map to $\mathbb P^1$ ramified at three points and with no nontrivial automorphisms, but I don't have one at hand.)

Then any permutation of the branch locus can be realised by some automorphism of $\mathbb P^1$ (since $PGL_2(k)$ acts transitively on triples of points in $\mathbb P^1$), but this map cannot be extended to $C$ since $C$ has no automorphisms.

This gives more examples of transcendence degree $1$ field extensions $A \subseteq B$ of $k$ where a $k$-automorphism of $A$ does not extend to $B$.

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  • $\begingroup$ Nice answer, thanks! also thanks to @YCor for all his nice counter-examples (one of his counter-examples appears in the answer). $\endgroup$
    – user237522
    Commented Mar 25, 2017 at 22:45
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    $\begingroup$ In the first example you have to assume $k$ not of char 2 since otherwise $x^2+1$ is a square and indeed in this case there is an extension of the automorphism. $\endgroup$
    – YCor
    Commented Mar 26, 2017 at 1:17
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    $\begingroup$ “Almost never”. Exactly the words I used in the blurb advertising my talk at Brown Wednesday last. $\endgroup$
    – Lubin
    Commented Mar 26, 2017 at 2:02
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    $\begingroup$ @YCor: ah, very good! I guess I was tacitly assuming $\operatorname{char}(k) = 0$, because that was a running assumption in the original post. $\endgroup$ Commented Mar 26, 2017 at 6:08

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