← Representations of Semi-simple Lie-Algebras → Appendix
What should you be acquainted with? 1. Linear Algebra, in particular inner product spaces both over the real and the complex numbers. This chapter is essentially taken from Brian Hall, Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Representations, Chapter 10

Properties of Representations of Semi-simple Lie-Algebras

Throughout this chapter $A$ will denote a complexified semi-simple Lie-algebra, $H$ a Cartan sub-algebra, $R\sbe H$ the root system and $B$ a base for $R$.

Structure of Weights

In this section we will prove generalizations of results obtained in subsection. We start with the generalization of lemma with identical proof:
Let $\mu$ be a weight of a finite dimensional representation $\psi:A\rar\Hom(E)$, such that for some root $r$: $n\colon=\la\mu,r^\vee\ra > 0$. Then $\mu,\mu-r,\ldots,\mu-nr$ are weights for $\psi$.
$\proof$ Let $F$ be the sub-space of $E$ generated by all weight vectors in $E$ whose weights lie in $\mu+\Z r$. These weights are shifted by $\psi(x_r)$ and $\psi(y_r)$ by $\pm r$ and therefore the restrictions $\psi|\lhull{r,x_r,y_r}$ gives a representation $\vp$ of $\sla(2,\C)$ in $F$ - with isomorphism $r^\vee\to H$, $x_r\to X$ and $y_r\to Y$. Since $R_r(\mu)=\mu-nr$ is also a weight for $\vp$ the operator $\vp(r^\vee)\in\Hom(F)$ has eigen-values $l\colon=\la r^\vee,\mu\ra$ and $\la r^\vee,\mu-nr\ra=l-2n$. By proposition $\vp(r^\vee)\in\Hom(F)$ must have the eigen-values $l,l-2,\ldots,l-2n$, which coincides with the set $\{\la r^\vee,\nu\ra: \nu\in\{\mu,\mu-r,\ldots,\mu-nr\}\}$. Thus for any such $\nu=\mu-kr$ there must be an eigen-vector $x\in F\sm\{0\}$ of $\vp(r^\vee)$ such that: $$ \psi(r^\vee)x=\vp(r^\vee)x=\la r^\vee,\nu\ra x $$ and this eigen-vector $x$ can be obtained by starting with a normed weight vector $x_0$ for the weight $\mu$ and applying $\psi(y_r)$ $k$ times; as $x\neq0$, it`s a weight vector for $\psi$. $\eofproof$
Suppose $\psi:A\rar\Hom(E)$ is a highest weight $\l$ representation, $B$ a base for the roots of $A$ and $\mu\in H$ is another dominant element such that $\l-\mu\in\sum_{b\in B}\N_0b$. Then $\mu$ is a weight for $\psi$.
$\proof$ Assume $\mu-\l=\sum_bn(b)b$, $n(b)\in\N_0$. Let $P\sbe H$ be the set $$ P\colon=\mu+\sum_b\{0,1,\ldots,n(b)\}b~. $$ and define for each $p=\mu+\sum k(b)b\in P$: $d(p)\colon=\sum k(b)$, which we think of as a sort of distance from $p$ to $\mu$. We claim that if $p\in P$ is a weight and $d(p) > 0$, then there is $b_0\in B$ such that $\la p,b_0\ra > 0$: As $p-\mu\neq0$ we have $$ 0 < \norm{p-\mu}^2 =\sum_{b\in B}k(b)\la p-\mu,b\ra $$ and thus there is some $b_0\in B$ such that $k(b_0) > 0$ and $\la p-\mu,b_0\ra > 0$. Since $\mu$ is dominant we conclude that $\la p,b_0\ra > 0$.
Finally by
lemma $p-b_0$ must be a weight. Hence for every weight $p\in P$ satisfying $d(p) > 0$ there is a weight $q\in P$ (e.g. $q\colon=p-b_0$) satisfying $d(q) < d(p)$, which shows that $\mu$ is a weight. $\eofproof$
Finally we can state the generalization of theorem to semi-simple Lie-algebras:
Suppose $\psi:A\rar\Hom(E)$ is a highest weight $\l$ representation and $B$ a base for the roots of $A$. An element $\mu$ of the Cartan-algebra $H$ is a weight for $\psi$ if and only if.
  1. $\mu$ is integral,
  2. $\mu\in\l-\sum_{\b\in B}\N_0b$,
  3. $\mu\in C\colon=\convex{w(\l):w\in W}$.
$\proof$ As $\psi$ is equivalent to $\g_\l:A\rar\Hom(W_\l/V_\l)$, each weight must be integral and $\mu\in\l-\sum_{b\in B}\N_0b$. Finally for all $w$ in the Weyl group $W$: $w(\mu)\preceq\l$ and since $\l$ is dominant we conclude by theorem: $\mu\in\convex{W(\l)}$.
Conversely, assume the three conditions hold. By corollary we can find some $w\in W$ such that $w(\mu)$ is dominant. By proposition $w(\mu)$ is a weight for $\psi$ (and thus $\mu$ is a weight) if $\l-w(\mu)\in\sum_{\b\in B}\N_0b$. But as $\mu\in C$ this follows from theorem provided $\l-w(\mu)\in\sum_{b\in B}\Z b$.
Now for each $c\in B$: $R_c(\mu)-\mu=\la\mu,c^\vee\ra c\in\Z c$ is integral, which implies by proposition that for all $w\in W$: $w(\mu)-\mu\in\sum_{b\in B}\Z b$ and therefore $\l-w(\mu)=\l-\mu+\mu-w(\mu)$ and since both $\l-\mu$ and $\mu-w(\mu)$ lie in $\sum_{b\in B}\Z b$, we are done. $\eofproof$
weight space
← Representations of Semi-simple Lie-Algebras → Appendix

<Home>
Last modified: Wed Jun 16 13:31:42 CEST 2021