On negative orbits of finite Coxeter groups. (Q703035): Difference between revisions

Let \(W\) be a Coxeter group. Let \(\Phi\) be the root system of \(W\) with \(\Pi\) a choice of simple root system and with \(\Phi^+\), \(\Phi^-\) the corresponding positive, resp., negative root systems. For any subset \(X\) of \(W\) and any \(\alpha\in\Phi^+\), define the negative orbit \(X^-(\alpha)\) of \(\alpha\) under \(X\) to be the set \(X^-(\alpha):=\{w\cdot\alpha\mid w\in X\}\cap\Phi^-\). Set \(n^-_X(\alpha)\) the cardinality of \(X^-(\alpha)\). Then the main result of the present paper is as follows: Suppose that \(W\) is a finite Weyl group. Let \(\alpha=\sum_{\alpha_r\in\Pi}\lambda_r\alpha_r\) and \(\beta=\sum_{\alpha_r\in\Pi}\mu_r\alpha_r\) be positive roots in the same \(W\)-orbit \(\Phi(\alpha):=W\cdot\alpha\) of \(\Phi\). Then for a conjugacy class \(X\) of \(W\), there exists a constant \(f(X)\in\{0,\pm 1\}\) dependent only on \(X\) and \(\Phi(\alpha)\) such that \[ n^-_X(\alpha)-n^-_X(\beta)=f(X)\Bigl(\sum_{\alpha_r\in\Pi\cap\Phi(\alpha)} \lambda_r- \sum_{\alpha_r\in\Pi\cap\Phi(\alpha)}\mu_r\Bigr). \] The proof of the result proceeds by a case-by-case argument. It is conceptional when \(W\) is of classical type, and with the help of the computer algebra package MAGMA when \(W\) is of exceptional type.