All Questions
25 questions
26
votes
3
answers
4k
views
How are these two ways of thinking about the cross product related?
I was always bothered by the definition of the cross product given in e.g. a calculus course because it's never made clear how one would go about defining the cross product in a coordinate-free manner....
- 118k
16
votes
0
answers
755
views
Is there a "natural" proof of the equality $4^2=2^4$?
This question, or rather any answer that it might receive, would probably belong to the realm of Awfully sophisticated proof for simple facts. Still, I claim that I have quite serious motivation for ...
- 18.4k
12
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Real and quaternionic representations according to weights
According to this question, it is easy to know whether a (complex, finite-dimensional) representation is self-dual or not: just check if the weight distribution in space is symmetric about the origin.
...
- 2,091
9
votes
1
answer
158
views
Eigenfunctions of the Laplace–Beltrami operator on the coadjoint orbit of $\mathfrak{su}(n)$
$\DeclareMathOperator\SU{SU}$For $\mathfrak{su}(2,\mathbb{C})$, the generic coadjoint orbit is $\mathbb{S}^2$, and the Laplace–Beltrami operator on it is given by
$$
\Delta \equiv \frac{1}{\sin\theta} ...
- 195
8
votes
1
answer
799
views
higher Casimirs for $\mathfrak{sl}$
The Wikipedia universal enveloping algebra suggest a way to obtain higher Casimir operators (e.g. generators of the center of $\mathfrak{U(g)}$ for $\mathfrak{g}$ semisimple) by evaluating certain ...
- 8,597
6
votes
2
answers
832
views
Cyclic vectors in irreducible representations of simple Lie algebras
Is there a notion of "cyclic element" in a simple Lie algebra? In particular, is it independent of the irreducible representation chosen?
Explanation.
An endomorphism A is called cyclic if there is ...
- 617
5
votes
3
answers
1k
views
classifying space and cohomology of integer general linear group
I have obtained that the classifying space
$$
BGL(\mathbb{R}^n)=BO(\mathbb{R}^n)=G_n(\mathbb{R}^\infty)
$$
is the Grassmannian.
I have also obtained that the mod 2 cohomology is the polynomial ...
- 1,990
5
votes
1
answer
378
views
Plethysm of $S^3(S^2V)$ as $\mathfrak{sl}_3(\mathbb{C})$-module
I have asked this question in MSE before, but have not got any answer. So here I am asking it again with some more detail.
I believe that the following sequence of $\mathfrak{sl}_3(\mathbb{C})$-...
- 1,305
5
votes
0
answers
231
views
Avoiding Cartan subalgebra in a Lie algebra
Let $G$ be a simple complex algebraic group acting on its Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ via the adjoint representation.
What is the largest integer $d$ such that every subspace $U \subseteq \mathfrak{g}$ ...
- 309
5
votes
0
answers
428
views
Weyl's construction for symplectic groups--an exercise in Fulton and Harris's book
This is an exercise in section 17.3 in Fulton and Harris's book:Representation theory-a first course.
Let $V=\mathbb{C}^{2n}$ and $Sp(2n)$ be the symplectic group w.r.t the nondegenerate bilinear ...
- 181
4
votes
2
answers
360
views
Double centralizer in special linear algebra
It is well known that for a matrix $A$ in $\mathfrak{sl}_n(\mathbb{C})$, we have the following equivalence:
$$\dim Z(A) \text{ is minimal} \leftrightarrow A \text{ is cyclic}$$
where $Z(A)$ is the ...
- 617
4
votes
0
answers
104
views
Relationship between characteristic polynomials of a matrix and its adjoint representation
Let $A \in \mathrm{M}_n(F)$ be a matrix over a field $F$. Consider its adjoint representation $\mathrm{ad}_A \in \mathrm{End}(\mathrm{M}_n(F))$, defined by
$$
\mathrm{ad}_A(X) = [A, X] = AX - XA.
$$
I ...
- 309
3
votes
1
answer
111
views
Generalization of a result of Kostant related to Gauss decomposition and Toda lattices
I found myself needing a generalization of a result of Kostant in his famous paper
B. Kostant, The solution to a generalized Toda lattice and representation theory, Adv. in Math, Volume 34, 1979, ...
- 173
3
votes
0
answers
236
views
Deligne-Simpson problem for classical groups
Additive Deligne-Simpson problem was partially prooved by Kostov. Also there is Crawley-Boevey's approach to the question. The problem is about existence of a solution of the equation
$$
A_1 +...+A_n =...
- 181
2
votes
1
answer
168
views
Irreducible $G$-representations with unital algebra structure
Let us work over $\mathbb C$. Suppose that $G$ is a semisimple algebraic group and let $H \subset G$ be a maximal torus. Consider a dominant weight $\omega$, then one can associate a unique ...
- 381
2
votes
0
answers
135
views
Set of Special Unitary Matrices that are dense in SU(4) and obey certain relations
I'm trying to find a finite set of 4x4 Unitary matricies $\{U_1,U_2,\ldots U_N\}$ such that the matrices are dense in SU(4), and obey the relations:
$[U_i, U_j] = 0$ for $|i-j|>1$
$U_iU_{i+1}U_i=...
- 71
1
vote
1
answer
298
views
Degenerate representation
Let $\rho : \mathbb{R}^n\to \mathfrak{so}(2m)$ be a faithful representation of the commutative Lie algebra $\mathbb{R}^n$ into the Lie algebra of skew-symmetric matrices. There is an orthonormal basis ...
- 442
1
vote
0
answers
58
views
Linear algebraic group, absolute root system, computing roots
Let $G(F)$ be a reductive linear algebraic group, where $F$ is a local field. Let $T(F)$ be a maximal anisotropic torus of $G$ that splits over a quadratic extension of $F$. Is there an efficient ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
139
views
Integral convex polytopes formed from the weight diagrams of representations of $\mathfrak {sl}_4$($\mathbb{C}$)
I'm a student studying undergraduate abstract algebra and doing a summer research project in the mathematics department at my school. I'm barely familiar with the rudiments of representation theory; I ...
- 111
1
vote
0
answers
71
views
What subspace of $\operatorname{SU}(4)$ group keeps an element of the $\mathfrak{su}(2)$ subalgebra within $\mathfrak{su}(2)$ upon adjoint action?
Consider the Lie group $G_4=\operatorname{SU}(4)$ with (15) generators $T^a$. A basis for the latter is
$$\{\sigma^j \times 1_2, \quad \quad \sigma^i \times \sigma^j, \quad \quad 1_2 \times \sigma^j\},...
- 155
1
vote
0
answers
143
views
Why is this operator independent of the choice of basis
I asked this question in MSE but I received no answer
https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/4009524/why-is-the-following-operator-independent-of-the-choice-of-basis/4013636#4013636
Let $G$ be a lie ...
- 139
1
vote
0
answers
84
views
Extra-Lorentzian Kac-Moody algebras
My question is about Kac-Moody (KM) algebras of finite rank with symmetrized Cartan matrices $B = C A$ ($A$ is Cartan matrix) of signatures $(-,-,+,...,+)$, $(-,-,-,+,...,+)$, etc. i.e. with $2$,...
- 371
0
votes
1
answer
775
views
Highest weights of irreducible components of tensor product of irreducible sl(3)-module [closed]
I am study the representation theory of $sl(3)$ and I have a question about the tensor representation of irreducible $sl(3)$-modules as follows:
For each weight $\mu$, let $L(\mu)$ be the irreducible ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
274
views
when $g^*$ is invariant under $Ad(G)$?
Let $G$ be a Lie Group and $\mathfrak{g}$ be its lie algebra.
Let $\mathfrak{g}$ is semisimple or reductive lie algebra, then prove that $\mathfrak{g}^*$ (dual of $\mathfrak{g}$)is invariant under $...
user21574
0
votes
0
answers
53
views
Largest Set of Special Unitary Matricies With Invariant Subspace For Adjoint Action
I am trying to solve the following. Given the special unitary group $SU(n)$ and its adjoint action $Ad_{U}: \mathfrak{su}(n) \rightarrow \mathfrak{su}(n)$, what is the largest subset of $SU(n)$ such ...
- 2,099