Some special features of Cayley algebras, and $G_2$, in low characteristics

Abstract: Some features of Cayley algebras (or algebras of octonions) and their Lie algebras of derivations over fields of low characteristic are presented. More specifically, over fields of characteristic $7$, explicit embeddings of any twisted form of the Witt algebra into the simple split Lie algebra of type $G_2$ are given. Over fields of characteristic $3$, even though the Lie algebra of derivations of a Cayley algebra is not simple, it is shown that still two Cayley algebras are isomorphic if and only if their Lie algebras of derivations are isomorphic. Finally, over fields of characteristic $2$, it is shown that the Lie algebra of derivations of any Cayley algebra is always isomorphic to the projective special linear Lie algebra of degree four. The twisted forms of this latter algebra are described too.