Index of a Lie algebra

Lie groups
Classical groups General linear GL(n) Special linear SL(n) Orthogonal O(n) Special orthogonal SO(n) Unitary U(n) Special unitary SU(n) Symplectic Sp(n)
Simple Lie groups Classical An Bn Cn Dn Exceptional G2 F4 E6 E7 E8
Other Lie groups Circle Lorentz Poincaré Conformal group Diffeomorphism Loop Euclidean
Lie algebras Lie group–Lie algebra correspondence Exponential map Adjoint representation Killing form Index Simple Lie algebra
Semisimple Lie algebra Dynkin diagrams Cartan subalgebra Root system Weyl group Real form Complexification Split Lie algebra Compact Lie algebra
Representation theory Lie group representation Lie algebra representation Representation theory of semisimple Lie algebras Representations of classical Lie groups Theorem of the highest weight Borel–Weil–Bott theorem
Lie groups in physics Particle physics and representation theory Lorentz group representations Poincaré group representations Galilean group representations
Scientists Sophus Lie Henri Poincaré Wilhelm Killing Élie Cartan Hermann Weyl Claude Chevalley Harish-Chandra Armand Borel
Glossary Table of Lie groups
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In algebra, let g be a Lie algebra over a field K. Let further ${\displaystyle \xi \in {\mathfrak {g}}^{*}}$ be a one-form on g. The stabilizer g_ξ of ξ is the Lie subalgebra of elements of g that annihilate ξ in the coadjoint representation. The index of the Lie algebra is

${\displaystyle \operatorname {ind} {\mathfrak {g}}:=\min \limits _{\xi \in {\mathfrak {g}}^{*}}\dim {\mathfrak {g}}_{\xi }.}$

Examples[]

Reductive Lie algebras[]

If g is reductive then the index of g is also the rank of g, because the adjoint and coadjoint representation are isomorphic and rk g is the minimal dimension of a stabilizer of an element in g. This is actually the dimension of the stabilizer of any regular element in g.

Frobenius Lie algebra[]

If ind g=0, then g is called Frobenius Lie algebra. This is equivalent to the fact that the ${\displaystyle K_{\xi }\colon {\mathfrak {g\otimes g}}\to \mathbb {K} :(X,Y)\mapsto \xi ([X,Y])}$ is non-singular for some ξ in g^*. Another equivalent condition when g is the Lie algebra of an algebraic group G, is that g is Frobenius if and only if G has an open orbit in g^* under the coadjoint representation.

Lie algebra of an algebraic group[]

If g is the Lie algebra of an algebraic group G, then the index of g is the transcendence degree of the field of rational functions on g^* that are invariant under the action of G.^[1]

References[]

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