Algebraic quantum hypergroups

An algebraic quantum group is a regular multiplier Hopf algebra with integrals. In this paper we will develop a theory of algebraic quantum hypergroups. It is very similar to the theory of algebraic quantum groups, except that the comultiplication is no longer assumed to be a homomorphism. We still require the existence of a left and of a right integral. There is also an antipode but it is characterized in terms of these integrals. We construct the dual, just as in the case of algebraic quantum groups and we show that the dual of the dual is the original quantum hypergroup. We define algebraic quantum hypergroups of compact type and discrete type and we show that these types are dual to each other. The algebraic quantum hypergroups of compact type are essentially the algebraic ingredients of the compact quantum hypergroups as introduced and studied (in an operator algebraic context) by Chapovsky and Vainerman.We will give some basic examples in order to illustrate different aspects of the theory. In a separate note, we will consider more special cases and more complicated examples. In particular, in that note, we will give a general construction procedure and show how known examples of these algebraic quantum hypergroups fit into this framework.