Questions tagged [rt.representation-theory]
Linear representations of algebras and groups, Lie theory, associative algebras, multilinear algebra.
7,076 questions
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Examples when quantum $q$ equals to arithmetic $q$
First, as a disclaimer, I should say that this post is not about any specific propositions, but is more of some philosophical flavor.
In the world of quantum mathematics, the letter $q$ is a standard ...
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Is there a "categorical" description of Grothendieck's algebra of differential operators?
First, pick a commutative ring $k$ as the "ground field". Everything I say will be $k$-linear, e.g. "algebra" means "unital associative algebra over $k$". Then recall the following construction due ...
- 54.6k
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On a drawing in Dixmier's Enveloping Algebras
This image
comes from Dixmier's book, 'Enveloping Algebras' ('Algèbres enveloppantes').
Dixmier writes that
The curves shown on p. XIV have their origin in the study of U(sl(3)).
They are due ...
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How do I stop worrying about root systems and decomposition theorems (for reductive groups)?
I apologize for this being a very very vague question.
Just as personal experience, I never feel that I fully grasped the theory of root systems in Lie algebras and Lie/algebraic groups (I shall ...
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When is a coadjoint orbit an integrable system (in a weak sense explained below)?
Let $X$ be an affine holomorphic symplectic variety of dimension $2n$, with the associated Poisson bracket { , }. Let's say it's an integrable system when there are $n$ algebraically independent ...
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Number of n-th roots of elements in a finite group and higher Frobenius-Schur indicators
This is the second follow-up to this question on square roots of elements in symmetric groups and is concerned with generalisations to $n$-th roots. Let $G$ be a finite group and let $r_n(g)$ be the ...
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Which p-adic algebraic groups are type I?
It was proved by Jacques Dixmier (Sur les représentations unitaires des groupes de Lie algébriques, Annales de l'institut Fourier, 7 (1957), p. 315-328, doi: 10.5802/aif.73, MR 20 #5820, Zbl 0080....
- 11.1k
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Diameter of a quotient of the infinite dimensional sphere
Suppose a group $\Gamma$ acts by isometries on the Hilbert space $\mathbb{H}^\infty$ and it fixes the origin. So $\Gamma$ acts on the unit sphere $\mathbb{S}^\infty$ as well.
Assume that the action $...
- 45k
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Does $\mathrm{SL}_{n}(\mathbb{Z}/p^{2})$ have the same number of conjugacy classes as $\mathrm{SL}_{n}(\mathbb{F}_{p}[t]/t^{2})$?
Let $p$ be a prime; $\mathbb{F}_{p}$ is the field with $p$ elements
and $\mathbb{F}_{p}[t]$ the ring of polynomials in $t$ over $\mathbb{F}_{p}$.
Does $\mathrm{SL}_{n}(\mathbb{Z}/p^{2})$ have the ...
- 3,813
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Okounkov-Vershik approach to representation theory of $S_n$
This is a rather soft question. I was wondering if someone could explain on a fundamental and intuitive level, what the Okounkov-Vershik approach to representation theory of $S_n$ is all about. It's ...
- 291
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Bounding Schur symmetric polynomials on the unit circle
Recall the Schur polynomial in $n$ variables, indexed by the partition $\lambda$, with $\ell(\lambda) \leq n$, is given by
\begin{equation}
s_\lambda(x_1,\ldots, x_n) = a_{\lambda + \delta}(x_1, \...
- 4,466
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Is every finite-dimensional Lie algebra the Lie algebra of a closed linear Lie group?
This question is closely related to this one.
Ado's theorem states that given a finite-dimensional Lie algebra $\mathfrak g$, there exists a faithful representation $\rho\colon\mathfrak g \to \...
- 1,050
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Conjectural identities for Young symmetrizers and Young-Jucys-Murphy elements
The following questions I have found in my own notes from about 3 years ago. Unfortunately, I lost much of the context; I believe I made these conjectures reading Okounkov-Vershik, arXiv:0503040v3, ...
- 33.8k
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Invariants for the exceptional complex simple Lie algebra $F_4$
This is an edited version of the original question taking into account the comments below by Bruce. The original formulation was imprecise.
Let $\mathfrak{g}$ denote a complex simple Lie algebra of ...
- 33.3k
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McKay conjecture for finite groups in the simplest case G=GL(2,F_p) ( puzzle: Borel knows about cuspidals)
The McKay conjecture and related (Alperin, Issacs-Navarro) are one of the "main problems in the representation theory of finite groups" (G.Navarro pdf).
Statement of the McKay conjecture is quite ...
- 24.9k
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473
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Is there a "direct" proof of the Galois symmetry on centre of group algebra?
Let $G$ be a finite group, and $n$ an integer coprime to $|G|$. Then we have the following map, which is clearly not a morphism of groups in general: $$g\mapsto g^n.$$
This induces a linear ...
- 1,949
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Cauchy matrices with elementary symmetric polynomials
$\newcommand{\vx}{\mathbf{x}}$
Let $e_k(\vx)$ denote the elementary symmetric polynomial, defined for $k=0,1,\ldots,n$ over a vector $\vx=(x_1,\ldots,x_n)$ by
\begin{equation*}
e_k(\vx) := \sum_{1 \...
- 28.6k
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Things that should be positive integers...really?
Kronecker. Nuff said. Even the numbers themselves historically started
as positive integers and were subsequently generalized to hell and back.
Here are some other well known concepts that "should" ...
20
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Elementary reference for algebraic groups
I'm looking for a reference on algebraic groups which requires only knowledge of basic material on the theory of varieties which you could find in, for example, Basic Algebraic Geometry 1 by ...
- 15.4k
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What's so special about the forgetful functor from G-rep to Vect?
The following is some version of Tannaka-Krein theory, and is reasonably well-known:
Let $G$ be a group (in Set is all I care about for now), and $G\text{-Rep}$ the category of all $G$-modules (...
- 54.6k
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940
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What did Frobenius prove about $M_{12}$?
I am interested in this paper which I can't read because it's in German:
Frobenius, G., Über die Charaktere der mehrfach transitiven Gruppen., Berl. Ber. 1904, 558-571 (1904). ZBL35.0154.02.
A free ...
- 11.2k
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What invariants of a matrix or representation can be used to find its GL(n,Z)-conjugacy class?
First question: For a semisimple invertible $n \times n$ matrix with entries over a field K, its characteristic polynomial completely describes the similarity class of the matrix. For non-semisimple ...
- 7,320
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Cusp forms and L^2
I am confused about the "bigger picture" when one goes from classical modular forms on $SL_2(\mathbb{Z})$ and its subgroups to automorphic forms (possibly non-holomorphic).
For classical modular ...
- 233
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840
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Is there an analogue of the hive model for Littlewood-Richardson coefficients of types $B$, $C$ and $D$?
If $V_\lambda$, $V_\mu$ and $V_\nu$ are irreducible representations of $\operatorname{GL}_n$, the Littlewood-Richardson coefficient $c_{\lambda\mu}^\nu$ denotes the multiplicity of $V_\nu$ in the ...
- 313
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The finite groups with a zero entry in each column of its character table (except the first one)
$\DeclareMathOperator\PSL{PSL}\DeclareMathOperator\Aut{Aut}$Consider the class of finite groups $G$ having a zero entry in each column of its character table (except the first one), i.e. for all $g \...
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LMS Lectures on Geometric Langlands
Everybody knows how insightful are David Ben-Zvi talks (and comments/answers here on mathoverflow). I was trying to watch the LMS 2007 Lecture Series on Geometric Langlands by David, supposedly made ...
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How small can a group with an n-dimensional irreducible complex representation be?
More precisely, what is the smallest exponent e such that, for every n, there exists a group of size at most Cn^e for some absolute constant C and with an n-dimensional irreducible complex ...
- 118k
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computing the Weyl character formula
Suppose $G$ is a connected compact group and $\pi$ is an irreducible representation of $G$. The Weyl character formula gives a formula for $\text{trace}(\pi(t))$ for $t\in G$.
If $t$ is of order $n$ ...
- 761
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Center of a simply-connected simple compact Lie group and McKay correspondence
Let $G$ be a simply-connected simple compact Lie group. Its center $Z(G)$ is a finite abelian group, say $Z(G) = \mathbb Z/k\mathbb Z$ for $G=SU(k)$.
I find the following interpretation of $Z(G)$ in ...
- 3,051
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Harmonic analysis on semisimple groups - modern treatment
For my finals, I am digging through the book by Varadarajan An introduction to harmonic analysis on semisimple Lie groups. I find it a rather hard read and I feel it's a bit outdated now. Any ...
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Geometric construction of depth zero local Langlands correspondence
Dear community,
In light of the recent work of DeBacker/Reeder on the depth zero local Langlands correspondence, I was wondering if there is an attempt to "geometrize" the depth zero local Langlands ...
- 1,000
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586
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$q$-(and other)-analogs for counting index-$n$ subgroups in terms of Homs to $S_n$?
The following formula of astonishing beauty and power (imho):
$$ \sum_{n \ge 0} \frac{| \mathrm{Hom}(G,S_n) | }{n! } z^n = \exp\left( \sum_{n \ge 1} \frac{|\text{Index}~n~\text{subgroups of}~ G|}nz^...
- 24.9k
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Which groups have strictly rational representations?
It can be shown, via the construction of the representations of the symmetric group, that every representation of $S_n$ is equivalent to a representation with values in $\mathbb{Q}.$ Presumably, this ...
- 640
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Is the representation category of quantum groups at root of unity visibly unitary?
Let $\mathfrak g$ be a simple Lie algebra.
By taking the specialization at $q^\ell=1$ of a certain integral version¹ of the quantum group $U_q(\mathfrak g)$,
and by considering a certain quotient ...
- 43.2k
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Is there any "deep" relation between the localization theorem of equivariant cohomology and the localization theorem of equivariant K-theory
First let's consider equivariant cohomology: if a compact Lie group $G$ acts on a compact manifold $M$. We have the equivariant cohomology $ H_G(M)$ defined as the cohomology of the cochain complex $((...
- 9,019
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Representation theory of reductive groups in characteristic $p$ as a limit of the theories in characteristic $0$
This question is out of plain curiosity. The first sentence of Deligne's
Les corps locaux de caractéristique $p$, limites de corps locaux de caractéristique $0$ (1984) reads (in rough translation) as ...
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Is there a gerbe Beilinson-Bernstein Localization?
Suppose you want to construct a representation of an affine algebraic group $G$, you may start with a $G$-equivariant line bundle $\mathcal{L}$ on a $G$-manifold $X$ and then consider global sections, ...
- 3,242
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Why did people originally like Frobenius algebras?
These days, lots of people are excited by Frobenius algebras because commutative Frobenius algebras are the same thing as 2D topological quantum field theories.
...but this seems like teaching an old ...
- 1,872
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Young's natural representation of the symmetric group
The literature on the representation theory of the symmetric group contains some terminology that I find puzzling, and I am wondering if someone here knows the full story.
One of the standard ways to ...
- 82.7k
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983
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Curious fact about number of roots of $\mathfrak{sl}_n$
The Lie algebra $\mathfrak{sl}_n $ has many special features which are not shared by other simple Lie algebras, for example all of its fundamental representations are minuscule.
I recently discovered ...
- 4,612
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907
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Semisimplicity for tensor products of representations of finite groups
Let $G$ be a group and $k$ a field of characteristic $p>0$. Let $$\rho_i: G\to GL(V_i),~ i=1,2$$ be two finite-dimensional semisimple $k$-representations of $G$, with $\dim(V_1)+\dim(V_2)<p+2.$ ...
- 23k
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Row of the character table of symmetric group with most negative entries
The row of the character table of $S_n$ corresponding to the trivial representation has all entries positive, and by orthogonality clearly it is the only one like this.
Is it true that for $n\gg 0$, ...
- 24.2k
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598
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Your favourite alternative proof of Borel–Weil–Bott
There is a really nice proof of Borel–Weil–Bott, essentially using parabolic induction (see Proof of Borel-Weil-Bott Theorem, Lurie - A proof of the Borel–Weil–Bott theorem or Demazure - A very simple ...
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Which classes in $\mathrm{H}^4(B\mathrm{Exceptional}; \mathbb{Z})$ are classical characteristic classes?
Let $G$ be a compact connected Lie group. Recall that $\mathrm{H}^4(\mathrm{B}G;\mathbb{Z})$ is then a free abelian group of finite rank. Let us say that a class $c \in \mathrm{H}^4(\mathrm{B}G;\...
- 54.6k
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Should the Dynkin diagrams of types $A_1$ and $B_2$ be labelled $C_1$ and $C_2$?
The labels $A$--$G$ attached to connected Dynkin diagrams are of course arbitrary,
the result of historical accidents. In order to avoid repetitions, the four infinite
families $A_\ell, B_\ell, C_\...
- 52.9k
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Matrix representation for $F_4$
Has anyone ever bothered to write down the 26-dimensional fundamental representation of $F_4$? I wouldn't mind looking at it. Is it in $\mathfrak{so}(26)$?
I'm familiar with the construction of the ...
- 2,123
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Algebraic Groups in Characteristic p
It is well-known that Lie groups are, under nice conditions, essentially determined by their Lie-algebras. What's the corresponding statement for algebraic groups over fields of finite characteristic?
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Finite groups such that every irrep can be induced from trivial irrep of a subgroup ?
What are examples (general features) of the finite groups $G$, such that every irrep (irreducible representation) is contained (as constituent) in the representation induced from trivial ...
- 24.9k
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The number of commuting m-tuples is divisible by order of group: Improvements?
The number of commuting pairs of elements in finite group G is equal to the product $k(G)*|G|$ (see MO271757 ) where $k(G)$ is the number of conjugacy classes. Thus it is is divisible by $|G|$ (the ...
- 24.9k
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Is there a formula for the Frobenius-Schur indicator of a rep of a Lie group?
Let $G$ be a simple algebraic group group over $\mathbb C$.
Let $V$ be a self-dual representation of $G$.
Let $\lambda$ be the highest weight of $V$.
Write $\lambda$ as a sum of fundamental weights: $...
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