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M 507 Lie Algebras - Homework 10: It Is Recommended To Use An Extra Sheet of Paper For This Exercise Optional

This document contains a homework assignment on Lie algebras and root systems of type A_n. It includes several problems: 1) Showing that the fundamental group of the root system of type A_n is cyclic of order n-1. 2) Drawing and analyzing the root system and weight lattice of type A_2. 3) Proving that a set consisting of dominant weights is saturated. 4) Explicitly determining sets of weights for A_2. 5) Proving properties about the Iwasawa decomposition and fundamental groups of SL_n(C). 6) Analyzing fundamental groups of quotients of SL_n(C).

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46 views2 pages

M 507 Lie Algebras - Homework 10: It Is Recommended To Use An Extra Sheet of Paper For This Exercise Optional

This document contains a homework assignment on Lie algebras and root systems of type A_n. It includes several problems: 1) Showing that the fundamental group of the root system of type A_n is cyclic of order n-1. 2) Drawing and analyzing the root system and weight lattice of type A_2. 3) Proving that a set consisting of dominant weights is saturated. 4) Explicitly determining sets of weights for A_2. 5) Proving properties about the Iwasawa decomposition and fundamental groups of SL_n(C). 6) Analyzing fundamental groups of quotients of SL_n(C).

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Toto de Dauphine
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Fall 2011

Matthias Strauch

M 507 Lie Algebras - Homework 10


If not stated otherwise, F denotes an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero, all Lie algebras are
finite-dimensional Lie algebras over F , and all F -vector spaces are finite-dimensional.
(1) Consider the Cartan matrix (of size n  n) for the root system of type An :


2 1 0
0


1
2

1
0


 0 .1 2. 1
C .
..
..
..
..

.


0
0

...
...

0
...

1
0

...
...
...
...
2
1

0
0
0
..
.

1







Show that by performing elementary row operations on C (adding an integral multiple of one row
to another row, and permuting rows) one can obtain a matrix of the type


1 2 1 0

0 1 2 1


 .. ... . . . . . .
C1   .

0 . . . . . . 1


0
0

...
...

...
...

...
...

...
2
0 1
... 0

0
0
..
.

1
2

pn

Deduce from this that the group Zn {CZn is cyclic of order n


group of the root system of type An is cyclic of order n 1.

1q




 .


1. Conclude that the fundamental

(2) Draw a (nice!) picture of the root system  A2 (with correct lengths and angles1), indicate some
points of the root lattice r  Z (the group generated by ), draw in this picture the fundamental
weights 1 and 2 , and indicate some points of the weight lattice  Z1 Z2 . Can you see that
the mesh spanned by a base of has three times the area of the mesh tt1 1 t2 2 | ti P r0, 1su
spanned by 1 and 2 ?
(3) If P , prove that the set pq consisting of all dominant weights and their W-conjugates
is saturated.
(4) For of type A2 , determine explicitly the sets p1 q, p2 q and p1
sets (similar to the picture in problem 2, but on a different sheet).

2 q. Draw pictures of these

(5) 2 SLn pCq is simply connected.


(a) (Iwasawa decomposition.) Use the Gram-Schmidt process (for the hermitian vector space Cn )
to show that any A P SLn pCq can be written uniquely as A  U B, where U P SUpnq  tX P
 1n u, and B is an upper triangular matrix (with complex entries) having positive
SLn pCq | X T X
real entries on the diagonal (and determinant one). We denote the subgroup of SLn pCq consisting
of such matrices B by B. We write SLn pCq  SUpnqB and call this the Iwasawa decomposition of
SLn pCq.
continued
1it is recommended to use an extra sheet of paper for this exercise
2optional

Comments, corrections and queries can be sent to me at [email protected]

(b) Show that the group B is contractible, i.e., that its underlying topological space (a subspace of
2
Mn pCq  Cn ) is contractible.

(c) Verify that the action of SU pnq on Cn leaves


S 2n1

 tpz1, . . . , znq P Cn | |z1|2 . . . |zn|2  1u


invariant. Show that the stabilizer of e1 P S 2n1 is precisely
"

1 0
0 C

| C P SUpn  1q  SUpn  1q .

It follows that the map SUpnq S 2n1 , A Ae1 , is a Serre fibration. (It is even a locally trivial
fibre bundle with general fiber SUpn  1q.) Apply the long exact sequence of homotopy groups (sets)
. . . 1 pSUpn  1qq 1 pSUpnqq 1 pS 2n1 q . . .
and deduce (by induction on n) that SUpnq is simply connected. Use part (a) to show that SLn pCq
is simply connected.
(6) 3 Fundamental groups of quotients SLn pCq.

(a) Show that the center of SLn pCq is n  1n


SUpnq.

 t  1n | n  1u.

Show that the same is true for

(b) If is a subgroup of the center of SLn pCq, show that 1 pSLn pCq{q  .

(c) The group PGLn pCq is defined to be the quotient of GLn pCq by its center C  1n , i.e.,
PGLn pCq  GLn pCq{C .
Show that 1 pPGLn pCqq is cyclic of order n. (Hint: consider the canonical map SLn pCq PGLn pCq.)

Remark. The groups SLn pCq{ ( a subgroup of the center of SLn pCq) give a complete set of linear
algebraic groups (over C) that are simple in the sense of algebraic groups and that have as Lie
algebra the Lie algebra of type An1 .

The extreme cases SLn pCq (trivial fundamental group) and PGLn pCq (maximal possible fundamental group) are called the simply connected group of type An1 and the adjoint group of type An1 ,
respectively.

3optional

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