Recently, V.Ginzburg introduced and studied in depth the notion of a principal nilpotent pair in a semisimple Lie algebra \g. Our aim is to contribute to the general theory of nilpotent pairs. Roughly speaking, a nilpotent pair (e_1,e_2) consists of two commuting elements in \g that can independently be contracted to the origin. A principal nilpotent pair is a double counterpart of a regular nilpotent element. Consequently, the theory of nilpotent pairs should stand out as double counterpart of the theory of nilpotent orbits. We show that any nilpotent pair has a characteristic (h_1,h_2), which is unique within to conjugacy. Generalizing Dynkin's approach to (sl_2)-triples, we prove that the number of G-orbits of characteristics of nilpotent pairs is finite and provide some estimates for the numerical labels α_j(h_i), where {α_j} are suitable simple roots of \g. It was observed by Ginzburg that the number of G-orbits of nilpotent pairs is infinite. This means this class is too wide to have a reasonable theory. To resolve this difficulty, we introduce `wonderful' nilpotent pairs. We prove that if two wonderful pairs have the same characteristic, then these are conjugate. This implies that there are finitely many G-orbits of wonderful pairs. A number of nice properties of wonderful pairs shows that these can be regarded as right double analogue of nilpotent orbits. We also consider several natural classes of wonderful pairs and describe characteristics for principal and almost principal nilpotent pairs.
This is the first of a series of papers devoted to certain pairs of commuting nilpotent elements in a semisimple Lie algebra that enjoy quite remarkable properties and which are expected to play a major role in Representation theory. The properties of these pairs and their role is similar to those of the principal nilpotents. To any principal nilpotent pair we associate a two-parameter analogue of the Kostant partition function, and propose the corresponding two-parameter analogue of the weight multiplicity formula. In a different direction, each principal nilpotent pair gives rise to a harmon…
In this paper, we study the index for several natural classes of non-reductive subalgebras of semisimple Lie algebras. Namely, we look at parabolic subalgebras, centralisers of nilpotent elements, and the normalisers of the centralisers. We discuss a conjecture of Elashvili to the effect that the index of any centraliser is equal to the rank of the semisimple algebra in question. It is shown that Elashvili's conjecture is true for `small' and `large' orbits. Some properties of the index for the normaliser of the centraliser are proved. In particular, we prove that, for a regular nilpotent elem…
This short note is a supplement to the previous article with the same title. Here we treat a conical symplectic variety obtained as a finite covering of a (not necessarily normal) nilpotent orbit closure of a complex semisimple Lie algebra.
In characteristic zero, Bezrukavnikov has shown that the category of perverse coherent sheaves on the nilpotent cone of a simply connected semisimple algebraic group is quasi-hereditary, and that it is derived-equivalent to the category of (ordinary) coherent sheaves. We prove that graded versions of these results also hold in good positive characteristic.
We prove that a conical symplectic variety with maximal weight 1 is isomorphic to one of the following: (i) an affine space with the standard symplectic form (ii) a nilpotent orbit closure of a complex semisimple Lie algebra with the Kirillov-Kostant form.
We consider aspects of the relationship between nilpotent orbits in a semisimple real Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ and those in its complexification $\mathfrak{g}_{\mathbb{C}}$. In particular, we prove that two distinct real nilpotent orbits lying in the same complex orbit are incomparable in the closure order. Secondly, we characterize those $\mathfrak{g}$ having non-empty intersections with all nilpotent orbits in $\mathfrak{g}_{\mathbb{C}}$. Finally, for $\mathfrak{g}$ quasi-split, we characterize those complex nilpotent orbits containing real ones.
Let g be a semisimple Lie algebra of finite dimension. The nullcone N of g is the set of (x,y) in g x g such that x and y are nilpotents and are in the same Borel sualgebra. The main result of this paper is that N is a closed and irreducible subvariety of g x g, its normalisation has rational singularities and its normalization morphism is bijective.
In this paper we consider certain closed subvarieties of the flag variety, known as Hessenberg varieties. We prove that Hessenberg varieties corresponding to nilpotent elements which are regular in a Levi factor are paved by affines. We provide a partial reduction from paving Hessenberg varieties for arbitrary elements to paving those corresponding to nilpotent elements. As a consequence, we generalize results of Tymoczko asserting that Hessenberg varieties for regular nilpotent and arbitrary elements of \mathfrak{gl}_n(\C) are paved by affines. For example, our results prove that any Hessenbe…
Let G be a reductive algebraic group over the complex field and O_h be a closed adjoint orbit through a semisimple element h. By a result of Borho and Kraft (1979), it is known that the asymptotic cone of the orbit O_h is the closure of a Richardson nilpotent orbit corresponding to a parabolic subgroup whose Levi component is the centralizer Z_G(h) in G. In this paper, we prove an analogue on a semisimple orbit for a symmetric pair (G, K).
A nilpotent orbit $O$ of a complex semisimple Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$ has finite fundamental group. Associated with an etale cover of $O$, we have a finite cover of the closure $\bar{O}$ of $O$. In this article we consider the finite cover X associated with the universal cover of a nilpotent orbit $O$ of a classical simple Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$. We construct explicitly a Q-factorial terminalization of X in a group theoretic way.
Let g be a semisimple Lie algebra of finite dimension. The nullcone N of g is the set of (x, y) in g\timesg such that x and y are nilpotents and are in the same Borel subalgebra. The main result of this paper is that N is a closed and irreducible subvariety of g \times g whose normalization has rational singularities and such that the normalization morphism is bijective.
A (vector space) basis B of a Lie algebra is said to be very nilpotent if all the iterated brackets of elements of B are nilpotent. In this note, we prove a refinement of Engel's Theorem. We show that a Lie algebra has a very nilpotent basis if and only if it is a nilpotent Lie algebra. When g is a semisimple Lie algebra, this allows us to define an ideal of S((g^n)^*)^G whose associated algebraic set in g^n is the set of n-tuples lying in a same Borel subalgebra.
Given a classical semisimple complex algebraic group G and a symmetric pair (G, K) of non-Hermitian type, we study the closures of the spherical nilpotent K-orbits in the isotropy representation of K. For all such orbit closures, we study the normality and we describe the K-module structure of the ring of regular functions of the normalizations.
Let F be an algebraically closed field and let G be a semisimple F-algebraic group for which the characteristic of F is *very good*. If X in Lie(G) = Lie(G)(F) is a nilpotent element in the Lie algebra of G, and if C is the centralizer in G of X, we show that (i) the root datum of a Levi factor of C, and (ii) the component group C/C^o both depend only on the Bala-Carter label of X; i.e. both are independent of very good characteristic. The result in case (ii) depends on the known case when G is (simple and) of adjoint type. The proofs are achieved by studying the centralizer C of a nilpotent s…
An equivalent condition for an element of a Lie algebra acting nilpotently in all its representations is obtained. Namely, it should belong to the derived algebra and go via factoring over the radical to a nilpotent element of the corresponding (semisimple) quotient algebra.
Given a complex projective algebraic variety, write H(X) for its cohomology with complex coefficients and IH(X) for its Intersection cohomology. We first show that, under some fairly general conditions, the canonical map H(X)\to IH(X) is injective. Now let Gr = G((z))/G[[z]] be the loop Grassmannian for a complex semisimple group G, and let X be the closure of a G[[z]]-orbit in Gr. We prove, using the general result above, a conjecture of D. Peterson describing the cohomology algebra H(X) in terms of the centralizer of the principal nilpotent in the Langlands dual of Lie(G). In the last sectio…
Let $\0$ be a nilpotent orbit in a semisimple complex Lie algebra $\g$. Denote by $G$ the simply connected Lie group with Lie algebra $\g$. For a $G$-homogeneous covering $M \to \0$, let $X$ be the normalization of $\bar{\0}$ in the function field of $M$. In this note, we study the existence of symplectic resolutions for such coverings $X$.
We single out a large class of semisimple singularities with the property that all roots of the Poincaré polynomial of the Lie algebra of derivations of the corresponding suitably (not necessarily quasihomogeneously) graded moduli algebra lie on the unit circle; for a still larger class there might occur exactly four roots outside the unit circle.
Recently, E.Feigin introduced a very interesting contraction $\mathfrak q$ of a semisimple Lie algebra $\mathfrak g$ (see arXiv:1007.0646 and arXiv:1101.1898). We prove that these non-reductive Lie algebras retain good invariant-theoretic properties of $\mathfrak g$. For instance, the algebras of invariants of both adjoint and coadjoint representations of $\mathfrak q$ are free, and also the enveloping algebra of $\mathfrak q$ is a free module over its centre.
Institut Camille Jordan, UMR 5208 CNRS, Univ Lyon, Université Jean Monnet（让·莫内大学）；Institut de Mathématiques de Bourgogne, UMR 5584 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté（勃艮第弗朗什-孔泰大学）
