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20 votes
3 answers
2k views

Where do root systems arise in mathematics?

One often hears that root systems are ubiquitous in mathematics and physics. The most obvious occurrence of root systems is in the classification of complex simple Lie algebras. Where else do they ...
6 votes
0 answers
244 views

What can lattices tell us about lattices?

A general group-theoretic lattice is usually defined as something like A discrete subgroup $\Gamma$ of a locally compact group $G$ is a lattice if the quotient $G/\Gamma$ carries a $G$-invariant ...
16 votes
3 answers
1k views

How can I tell if a group is linear?

The basic question is in the title, but I am interested in both necessary and sufficient conditions. I know the Tits' alternative and Malcev's result that finitely generated linear groups are ...
18 votes
4 answers
621 views

What are immediate applications of the classification of connected reductive groups?

After years of putting it off, I finally sat down, read, and understood the classification of connected reductive groups via root data. That's a non-trivial theory! I'm hoping that now that I am done ...
81 votes
26 answers
7k views

What would you want on a Lie theory cheat poster?

For some long time now I've thought about making a poster-sized "cheat sheet" with all the data about Lie groups and their representations that I occasionally need to reference. It's a moving target, ...
73 votes
6 answers
7k views

Surprisingly short or elegant proofs using Lie theory

Today, I was listening to someone give an exhausting proof of the fundamental theorem of algebra when I recalled that there was a short proof using Lie theory: A finite extension $K$ of $\mathbb{C}$...
27 votes
10 answers
2k views

Examples of Kan extensions, adjunctions, and (co)monads in analysis, Lie theory, and differential geometry?

In introductory texts on category theory, it seems like the majority of examples come from algebraic topology, algebra, and logic. What are some good examples of Kan extensions, adjunctions, and (co)...