Group identities on symmetric units under oriented involutions in group algebras

Abstract: Let $\mathbb{F}G$ denote the group algebra of a locally finite group $G$ over the infinite field $\mathbb{F}$ with $char(\mathbb{F})\neq 2$, and let $\circledast:\mathbb{F}G\rightarrow \mathbb{F}G$ denote the involution defined by $\alpha=\Sigma\alpha_{g}g \mapsto \alpha^\circledast=\Sigma\alpha_{g}\sigma(g)g^{\ast}$, where $\sigma:G\rightarrow {\pm1}$ is a group homomorphism (called an orientation) and $\ast$ is an involution of the group $G$. In this paper we prove, under some assumptions, that if the $\circledast$-symmetric units of $\mathbb{F}G$ satisfies a group identity then $\mathbb{F}G$ satisfies a polynomial identity, i.e., we give an affirmative answer to a Conjecture of B. Hartley in this setting. Moreover, in the case when the prime radical $\eta(\mathbb{F}G)$ of $\mathbb{F}G$ is nilpotent we characterize the groups for which the symmetric units $\mathcal{U}^+(\mathbb{F}G)$ do satisfy a group identity.