Using Howe duality we compute explicitly Kostant-type homology groups for a wide class of representations of the infinite-dimensional Lie superalgebra $\hat{\frak{gl}}_{\infty|\infty}$ and its classical subalgebras at positive integral levels. We also obtain Kostant-type homology formulas for the Lie algebra $ widehat{\frak{gl}}_\infty$ at negative integral levels. We further construct resolutions in terms of generalized Verma modules for these representations.
We study the eigenspace decomposition of a basic classical Lie superalgebra under the adjoint action of a toral subalgebra, thus extending results of Kostant. In recognition of Kostant's contribution we refer to the eigenspaces appearing in the decomposition as Kostant roots. We then prove that Kostant root systems inherit the main properties of classical root systems. Our approach is combinatorial in nature and utilizes certain graphs naturally associated with Kostant root systems. In particular, we reprove Kostant's results without making use of the Killing form.
We provide a systematic approach to obtain formulas for characters and Kostant ${\mathfrak u}$-homology groups of the oscillator modules of the finite dimensional general linear and ortho-symplectic superalgebras, via Howe dualities for infinite dimensional Lie algebras. Specializing these Lie superalgebras to Lie algebras, we recover, in a new way, formulas for Kostant homology groups of unitarizable highest weight representations of Hermitian symmetric pairs. In addition, two new reductive dual pairs related to the above-mentioned ${\mathfrak u}$-homology computation are worked out.
Let $\mathfrak{r}$ be a finite dimensional complex Lie superalgebra with a non-degenerate super-symmetric invariant bilinear form, let $\mathfrak{p}$ be a finite dimensional complex super vector space with a non-degenerate super-symmetric bilinear form, and let $ν: \mathfrak{r}\rightarrow\mathfrak{osp}(\mathfrak{p})$ be a Lie superalgebra homomorphism. In this paper, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for $\mathfrak{r}\oplus\mathfrak{p}$ to be a quadratic Lie superalgebra. The criterion obtained is an analogue of a constancy condition given by Kostant in the Lie algebra setting. As a…
In this paper we study finite W-algebras for basic classical superalgebras and Q(n) associated to the regular even nilpotent coadjoint orbits. We prove that this algebra satisfies the Amitsur-Levitzki identity and therefore all its irreducible representations are finite-dimensional. In the case of Q(n) we give an explicit description of the W-algebra in terms of generators and relation and realize it as a quotient of the super-Yangian of Q(1).
Using a super-affine version of Kostant's cubic Dirac operator, we prove a very strange formula for quadratic finite-dimensional Lie superalgebras with a reductive even subalgebra.
Vogan raised the idea of Dirac cohomology to study representations of semisimple Lie groups and Lie algebras. He conjectured that the infinitesimal character of Harish-Chandra modules are determined by their Dirac cohomology. Huang and Pandžić proved this conjecture and initiated the research on Dirac cohomology for Lie superalgebras based on Kostant's results. The aim of the present paper is to study Dirac cohomology of unitary representations for the general linear superalgebra and its relation to nilpotent Lie superalgebra cohomology.
We prove an Amitsur-Levitzki type theorem for the Lie superalgebras osp(1,2n) inspired by Kostant's cohomological interpretation of the classical theorem. We show that the Lie superalgebras gl(p,q) cannot satisfy an Amitsur-Levitzki type super identity if p, q are non zero and conjecture that neither can any other classical simple Lie superalgebra with the exception of osp(1,2n).
We establish classical and categorical Howe dualities between the Lie superalgebras $\mathfrak{p}(m)$ and $\mathfrak{p}(n)$, for $m,n \geq 1$. We also describe a presentation via generators and relations as well as a Kostant $\mathbb{Z}$-form for the universal enveloping superalgebra $U(\mathfrak{p}(m))$.
We establish a maximal parabolic version of the Kazhdan-Lusztig conjecture \cite[Conjecture 5.10]{CKW} for the BGG category $\mathcal{O}_{k,ζ}$ of $\mathfrak{q}(n)$-modules of "$\pm ζ$-weights", where $k\leq n$ and $ζ\in\mathbb{C} \setminus \frac{1}{2} \mathbb{Z}$. As a consequence, the irreducible characters of these $\mathfrak{q}(n)$-modules in this maximal parabolic category are given by the Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials of type $A$ Lie algebras. As an application, closed character formulas for a class of $\mathfrak{q}(n)$-modules resembling polynomial and Kostant modules of the general linea…
We extend Kostant's result on annihilator ideals of non-singular simple Whittaker modules over Lie algebras to (possibly singular) simple Whittaker modules over Lie superalgebras. We describe these annihilator ideals in terms of certain primitive ideals coming from the category $\mathcal O$ for quasireductive Lie superalgebras. To determine these annihilator ideals, we develop annihilator-preserving equivalences between certain full subcategories of the Whittaker category $\tilde{\mathcal N}$ and the categories of certain projectively presentable modules in the category $\mathcal O$. These equ…
The main focus of this paper is Bott-Borel-Weil (BBW) theory for basic classical Lie superalgebras. We take a purely algebraic self-contained approach to the problem. A new element in this study is twisting functors, which we use in particular to prove that the top of the cohomology groups of BBW theory for generic weights is described by the recently introduced star action. We also study the algebra of regular functions, related to BBW theory. Then we introduce a weaker form of genericness, relative to the Borel subalgebra and show that the virtual BGG reciprocity of Gruson and Serganova beco…
Let k be a field of characteristic not two or three, let $\mathfrak{g}$ be a finite-dimensional colour Lie algebra and let V be a finite-dimensional representation of $\mathfrak{g}$. In this article we give various ways of constructing a colour Lie algebra $\tilde{\mathfrak{g}}$ whose bracket in some sense extends both the bracket of $\mathfrak{g}$ and the action of $\mathfrak{g}$ on V. Colour Lie algebras, originally introduced by R. Ree ([Ree60]), generalise both Lie algebras and Lie superalgebras, and in those cases our results imply many known results ([Kos99], [Kos01], [CK15], [SS15]). Fo…
We study Kostant cohomology and Bernstein-Gelfand-Gelfand resolutions for finite dimensional representations of basic classical Lie superalgebras and reductive Lie superalgebras based on them. For each choice of parabolic subalgebra and irreducible representation of such a Lie superalgebra, there is a natural definition of the derivative and coderivative, which define the (co)homology groups. We prove that a necessary condition to have a resolution of an irreducible module in terms of Verma modules is complete reducibility of the cohomology groups. Essentially, if it exists, every such a resol…
In this paper we construct resolutions of finite dimensional irreducible gl(m|n)-modules in terms of generalized Verma modules. The resolutions are determined by the Kostant cohomology groups and extend the strong (Lepowsky-)Bernstein-Gelfand-Gelfand resolutions to the setting of Lie superalgebras. It is known that such resolutions for finite dimensional representations of Lie superalgebras do not exist in general. Thus far they have only been discovered for gl(m|n) in case the parabolic subalgebra has reductive part equal to gl(m)+gl(n) and for tensor modules. In the current paper we prove th…
In the framework of algebraic supergeometry, we give a construction of the scheme-theoretic supergeometric analogue of Chevalley groups, namely affine algebraic supergroups associated to simple Lie superalgebras of classical type. In particular both basic (even exceptional) and strange cases are covered. This provides a unified approach to most of the algebraic supergroups considered so far in literature, and an effective method to construct new ones. As an intermediate step, we prove an existence theorem for Chevalley bases of simple classical Lie superalgebras and a PBW-like theorem for thei…
In this paper, we present a simple combinatorial proof of a Weyl type formula for hook Schur polynomials, which has been obtained by using a Kostant type cohomology formula for $\frak{gl}_{m|n}$. In general, we can obtain in a combinatorial way a Weyl type formula for various highest weight representations of a Lie superalgebra, which together with a general linear algebra forms a Howe dual pair.
Howe's duality is considered from a unifying point of view based on Lie superalgebras. New examples are offered. In particular, we construct several simplest spinor-oscillator representations and compute their highest weights for the 'stringy' Lie superalgebras (i.e., Lie superalgebras of complex vector fields (or their nontrivial central extensions) on the supercircle $S^{1|n}$ and its two-sheeted cover associated with the Möbius bundle).
We establish a new Howe duality between a pair of quantum queer superalgebras $(\mathrm{U}_{q^{-1}}(\mathfrak{q}_n), \mathrm{U}_q(\mathfrak{q}_m))$. The key ingredient is the construction of a non-commutative analogue $\mathcal{A}_q(\mathfrak{q}_n,\mathfrak{q}_m)$ of the symmetric superalgebra $S(\mathbb{C}^{mn|mn})$ with the use of quantum coordinate queer superalgebra. It turns out that this superalgebra is equipped with a $\mathrm{U}_{q^{-1}}(\mathfrak{q}_n)\otimes\mathrm{U}_q(\mathfrak{q}_m)$-supermodule structure that admits a multiplicity-free decomposition. We also show that the $(\math…
A contragredient Lie superalgebra is a superalgebra defined by a Cartan matrix. In general, a contragredient Lie superalgebra is not finite dimensional, however it has a natural Z-grading by finite dimensional components. A contragredient Lie superalgebra has finite growth if the dimensions of these graded components depend polynomially on the degree. We discuss the classification of finite-growth contragredient Lie superalgebras. (Joint work with Vera Serganova)
We provide formulas for the denominator and superdenominator of a basic classical type Lie superalgebra for any set of positive roots. We establish a connection between certain sets of positive roots and the theory of reductive dual pairs of real Lie groups. As an application of our formulas, we recover the Theta correspondence for compact dual pairs. Along the way we give an explicit description of the real forms of basic classical type Lie superalgebras.
We study a dual pair of general linear Lie superalgebras in the sense of R. Howe. We give an explicit multiplicity-free decomposition of a symmetric and skew-symmetric algebra (in the super sense) under the action of the dual pair and present explicit formulas for the highest weight vectors in each isotypic subspace of the symmetric algebra. We give an explicit multiplicity-free decomposition into irreducible $gl(m|n)$-modules of the symmetric and skew-symmetric algebras of the symmetric square of the natural representation of $gl(m|n)$. In the former case we find as well explicit formulas for…
Orthosymplectic Lie superalgebras are fundamental symmetries in modern physics, such as massive supergravity. However, their representations are far from being thoroughly understood. In the present paper, we completely determine the structure of their various supersymmetric polynomial representations obtained by swapping bosonic multiplication operators and differential operators in the canonical supersymmetric polynomial representations. In particular, we obtain certain new infinite-dimensional irreducible representations and new composition series of indecomposable representations for these …
A new combinatorial interpretation of the Howe dual pair $(\hat{\frak{gl}}_{\infty|\infty},\frak{gl}_n)$ acting on an infinite dimensional Fock space $\frak{F}^n$ of level $n$ is presented. The character of a quasi-finite irreducible highest weight representation of $\hat{\frak{gl}}_{\infty|\infty}$ occurring in $\frak{F}^n$ is realized in terms of certain bitableaux of skew shapes. We study a general combinatorics of these bitableaux, including Robinson-Schensted-Knuth correspondence and Littlewood-Richardson rule, and then its dual relation with the rational semistandard tableaux for $\frak{…
Making use of a Howe duality involving the infinite-dimensional Lie superalgebra $\hgltwo$ and the finite-dimensional group $GL_l$ we derive a character formula for a certain class of irreducible quasi-finite representations of $\hgltwo$ in terms of hook Schur functions. We use the reduction procedure of $\hgltwo$ to $\hat{gl}_{n|n}$ to derive a character formula for a certain class of level 1 highest weight irreducible representations of $\hat{gl}_{n|n}$, the affine Lie superalgebra associated to the finite-dimensional Lie superalgebra $gl_{n|n}$. These modules turn out to form the complete s…
We introduce super Yangians of $\mathfrak{gl}(V),\mathfrak{sl}(V)$ (in the new Drinfeld realization) associated to all Dynkin diagrams of $\mathfrak{gl}(V)$, where $V$ is a finite-dimensional super vector space. We show that all of them are isomorphic to the super Yangians introduced by Maxim Nazarov, by identifying them with the corresponding RTT super Yangians. However, their "positive halves" are not pairwise isomorphic, and we obtain the shuffle algebra realizations of those. We adapt the latter to the trigonometric setup by obtaining the shuffle algebra realizations of the "positive halve…
We introduce the orthosymplectic superalgebra osp(m|2n) as the algebra of Killing vector fields on Riemannian superspace R^{m|2n} which stabilize the origin. The Laplace operator and norm squared on R^{m|2n}, which generate sl(2), are orthosymplectically invariant, therefore we obtain the Howe dual pair (osp(m|2n),sl(2)). We study the osp(m|2n)-representation structure of the kernel of the Laplace operator. This also yields the decomposition of the supersymmetric tensor powers of the fundamental osp(m|2n)-representation under the action of sl(2) x osp(m|2n). As a side result we obtain informat…
We study the Howe dualities involving the reductive dual pairs $(O(d),spo(2m|2n))$ and $(Sp(d),osp(2m|2n))$ on the (super)symmetric tensor of $\C^d\otimes\C^{m|n}$. We obtain complete decompositions of this space with respect to their respective joint actions. We also use these dualities to derive a character formula for these irreducible representations of $spo(2m|2n)$ and $osp(2m|2n)$ that appear in these decompositions.
Symplectic (respectively orthogonal) triple systems provide constructions of Lie algebras (resp. superalgebras). However, in characteristic 3, it is shown that this role can be interchanged and that Lie superalgebras (resp. algebras) can be built out of symplectic triple systems (resp. orthogonal triple systems) with a different construction. As a consequence, new simple finite dimensional Lie superalgebras, as well as new models of some nonclassical simple Lie algebras, are obtained over fields of characteristic 3.
Given a complex orthosymplectic superspace $V$, the orthosymplectic Lie superalgebra $\mathfrak {osp}(V)$ and general linear algebra ${\mathfrak {gl}}_N$ both act naturally on the coordinate super-ring $\mathcal{S}(N)$ of the dual space of $V\otimes{\mathbb C}^N$, and their actions commute. Hence the subalgebra $\mathcal{S}(N)^{\mathfrak {osp}(V)}$ of $\mathfrak {osp}(V)$-invariants in $\mathcal{S}(N)$ has a ${\mathfrak {gl}}_N$-module structure. We introduce the space of super Pfaffians as a simple ${\mathfrak {gl}}_N$-submodule of $\mathcal{S}(N)^{\mathfrak {osp}(V)}$, give an explicit formu…
We classify the quasi-finite irreducible highest weight modules over the infinite rank Lie superalgebras $\hgltwo$, $\hC$ and $\hD$, and determine the necessary and sufficient conditions for quasi-finite irreducible highest weight modules to be unitarizable with respect to natural $\ast$-structures of the Lie superalgebras. The unitarizable irreducible modules are constructed in terms of Fock spaces of free quantum fields, and explicit formulae for their formal characters are also obtained by investigating Howe dualities between the infinite rank Lie superalgebras and classical Lie groups.
We explain how Lie superalgebras of types gl and osp provide a natural framework generalizing the classical Schur and Howe dualities. This exposition includes a discussion of super duality, which connects the parabolic categories O between classical Lie superalgebras and Lie algebras. Super duality provides a conceptual solution to the irreducible character problem for these Lie superalgebras in terms of the classical Kazhdan-Lusztig polynomials.
If $\mathfrak{g}$ is a contragredient Lie superalgebra and $γ$ is a root of $\mathfrak{g},$ we prove the existence and uniqueness of Šapovalov elements for $γ$ and give upper bounds on the degrees of their coefficients. Then we use Šapovalov elements to define some new highest weight modules. If $X$ is a set of orthogonal isotropic roots and $λ\in \mathfrak{h}^*$ is such that $λ+ρ$ is orthogonal to all roots in $X$, we construct a highest weight module $M^X(λ)$ with character $ε^λ{p}_X$. Here $p_X$ is a function that counts partitions not involving roots in $X$. Examples of such modules can be…
In this paper we give a re-normalization of the supertrace on the category of representations of Lie superalgebras of type I, by a kind of modified superdimension. The genuine superdimensions and supertraces are generically zero. However, these modified superdimensions are non-zero and lead to a kind of supertrace which is non-trivial and invariant. As an application we show that this new supertrace gives rise to a non-zero bilinear form on a space of invariant tensors of a Lie superalgebra of type I. The results of this paper are completely classical results in the theory of Lie superalgebras…
We study realisations of Lie (super)algebras in Weyl (super)algebras and connections with minimal representations. The main result is the construction of small realisations of Lie superalgebras, which we apply for two distinct purposes. Firstly it naturally introduces, and generalises, the Bessel operators for Jordan algebras in the study of minimal representations of simple Lie groups. These have already been applied very successfully by several authors, however an easy direct explanation for their relevance seemed still to be missing. Secondly, we work out the theoretical realisation concret…
We study certain filtrations of indecomposable injective modules over classical Lie superalgebras, applying a general approach for noetherian rings developed by Brown, Jategaonkar, Lenagan, and Warfield. To indicate the consequences of our analysis, suppose that $g$ is a complex classical simple Lie superalgebra and that $E$ is an indecomposable injective $g$-module with nonzero (and so necessarily simple) socle $L$. (Recall that every essential extension of $L$, and in particular every nonsplit extension of $L$ by a simple module, can be formed from $g$-subfactors of $E$.) A direct transposit…
For a simple Lie algebra, over $\mathbb{C}$, we consider the weight which is the sum of all simple roots and denote it $\tildeα$. We formally use Kostant's weight multiplicity formula to compute the "dimension" of the zero-weight space. In type $A_r$, $\tildeα$ is the highest root, and therefore this dimension is the rank of the Lie algebra. In type $B_r$, this is the defining representation, with dimension equal to 1. In the remaining cases, the weight $\tildeα$ is not dominant and is not the highest weight of an irreducible finite-dimensional representation. Kostant's weight multiplicity for…
The symmetric group S_n possesses a nontrivial central extension, whose irreducible representations, different from the irreducible representations of S_n itself, coincide with the irreducible representations of a certain algebra A_n. Recently M.~Nazarov realized irreducible representations of A_n and Young symmetrizers by means of the Howe duality between the Lie superalgebra q(n) and the Hecke algebra H_n, the semidirect product of S_n with the Clifford algebra C_n on n indeterminates. Here I construct one more analog of Young symmetrizers in H_n as well as the analogs of Specht modules for …
For every semi-simple Lie algebra one can construct the Drinfeld-Jimbo algebra U. This algebra is a deformation Hopf algebra defined by generators and relations. To study the representation theory of U, Drinfeld used the KZ-equations to construct a quasi-Hopf algebra A. He proved that particular categories of modules over the algebras U and A are tensor equivalent. Analogous constructions of the algebras U and A exist in the case of Lie superalgebra of type A-G. However, Drinfeld's proof of the above equivalence of categories does not generalize to Lie superalgebras. In this paper, we will dis…
It is well known that the normaized characters of integrable highest weight modules of given level over an affine Lie algebra $\hat{\frak{g}}$ span an $SL_2(\mathbf{Z})$-invariant space. This result extends to admissible $\hat{\frak{g}}$-modules, where $\frak{g}$ is a simple Lie algebra or $osp_{1|n}$. Applying the quantum Hamiltonian reduction (QHR) to admissible $\hat{\frak{g}}$-modules when $\frak{g} =sl_2$ (resp. $=osp_{1|2}$) one obtains minimal series modules over the Virasoro (resp. $N=1$ superconformal algebras), which form modular invariant families. Another instance of modular invari…
Let M_0=G_0/H be a (n+1)-dimensional Cahen-Wallach Lorentzian symmetric space associated with a symmetric decomposition g_0=h+m and let S(M_0) be the spin bundle defined by the spin representation r:H->GL_R(S) of the stabilizer H. This article studies the superizations of M_0, i.e. its extensions to a homogeneous supermanifold M=G/H whose sheaf of superfunctions is isomorphic to Lambda(S^*(M_0)). Here G is a Lie supergroup which is the superization of the Lie group G_0 associated with a certain extension of the Lie algebra g_0 to a Lie superalgebra g=g_0+g_1=g_0+S, via the Kostant construction…
We consider the deformed versions of the classical Howe dual pairs $(O(r),\mathfrak{s}\mathfrak{l}(2))$ and $(O(r),\mathfrak{s}\mathfrak{p}\mathfrak{o}(2|2))$ in the context of a rational Cherednik algebra $H_c=H_c(W,\mathfrak{h})$ associated to a finite Coxeter group $W$ at the parameters $c$ and $t=1$. For the first pair, we compute the centraliser of the well-known copy of $\mathfrak{s}\cong\mathfrak{s}\mathfrak{l}(2)$ inside $H_c$. For the second pair, we show that the classical copy of $\mathfrak{g}\cong\mathfrak{s}\mathfrak{p}\mathfrak{o}(2|2)$ inside the Weyl-Clifford algebra $\mathcal{…
We give a new combinatorial interpretation of Howe dual pairs of the form $(\g,{\rm Sp}_{2\ell})$, where $\g$ is a Lie (super)algebra of classical type. This is done by establishing a symplectic analogue of the RSK algorithm associated to this pair, in a uniform way which does not depend on $\g$. We introduce an analogue of jeu de taquin sliding for spinor model of irreducible characters of a Lie superalgebra $\g$ to define $P$-tableau and show that the associated $Q$-tableau is given by a symplectic tableau due to King.
We generalize in a combinatorial way the notion of the affine energy function of type $A$ to the case of a more general class of modules over a general linear Lie superalgebra $\mathfrak{g}$ based on a Howe duality of type $(\mathfrak{g},\mathfrak{gl}_n)$ on various Fock spaces.
We establish a new Howe duality between a pair of two queer Lie superalgebras (q(m),q(n)). This gives a representation theoretic interpretation of a well-known combinatorial identity for Schur Q-functions. We further establish the equivalence between this new Howe duality and the Schur-Sergeev duality between q(n) and a central extension $\Hy_k$ of the hyperoctahedral group H_k. We show that the zero-weight space of a q(n)-module with highest weight $λ$ given by a strict partition of n is an irreducible module over the finite group $\Hy_n$ parameterized by $λ$. We also discuss some consequence…
In 1998 the Adapted Ordering Method was developed for the representation theory of the superconformal algebras. This method, which proves to be very powerful, can be applied to most algebras and superalgebras, however. It allows: to determine maximal dimensions for a given type of singular vector space, to identify all singular vectors by only a few coefficients, to spot subsingular vectors and to set the basis for constructing embedding diagrams. In this article we present the Adapted Ordering Method for general algebras and superalgebras which admit a triangulation and review briefly the res…
Given a point $A$ in the convex hull of a given adjoint orbit $\mathcal{O}(F)$ of a compact Lie group $G$, we give a polynomial time algorithm to compute the probability density supported on $\mathcal{O}(F)$ whose expectation is $A$ and that minimizes the Kullback-Leibler divergence to the $G$-invariant measure on $\mathcal{O}(F)$. This significantly extends the recent work of the authors (STOC 2020) who presented such a result for the manifold of rank $k$-projections which is a specific adjoint orbit of the unitary group $\mathrm{U}(n)$. Our result relies on the ellipsoid method-based framewo…
