On para-K\"ahler and hyper-para-K\"ahler Lie algebras

We study Lie algebras admitting para-K\"ahler and hyper-para-K\"ahler structures. We give new characterizations of these Lie algebras and we develop many methods to build large classes of examples. Bai considered para-K\"ahler Lie algebras as left symmetric bialgebras. We reconsider this point of view and improve it in order to obtain some new results. The study of para-K\"ahler and hyper-para-K\"ahler is intimately linked to the study of left symmetric algebras and, in particular, those admitting invariant symplectic forms. In this paper, we give many new classes of left symmetric algebras and a complete description of all associative algebras admitting an invariant symplectic form. We give also all four dimensional hyper-para-K\"ahler Lie algebras.