A ug 2 00 6 A note on Radford ’ s S 4 formula

In this note, we show that Radford's formula for the fourth power of the antipode can be proven for any regular multiplier Hopf algebra with integrals (algebraic quantum groups). This of course not only includes the case of a finite-dimensional Hopf algebra but also the case of any Hopf algebra with integrals (co-Frobenius Hopf algebras). The proof follows in a few lines from well-known formulas in the theory of regular multiplier Hopf algebras with integrals. We discuss these formulas and their importance in this theory. We also mention their generalizations to the (in a certain sense) more general theory of locally compact quantum groups. Doing so, and also because the proof of the main result itself is very short, the present note becomes largely of an expository nature.