Conjugacy classes in Weyl groups and q-W algebras (Q639553): Difference between revisions

\(W\)-algebras associated to nilpotent elements of complex semi-simple Lie algebras are important tools in the theory of Whittaker and Gelfand-Graev representations. In the paper under review the author constructs quantum group analogues of such algebras. To do this the author defines certain non-commutative deformations of algebras of regular functions defined on transversal slices to the set of conjugacy classes in an algebraic group \(G\) associated to a simple Lie algebra \(\mathfrak{g}\). Such slices are associated to (conjugacy classes of) the Weyl group elements and carry some natural Poisson structures. The quantum analogues of \(W\)-algebras defined in the paper are quantizations of those Poisson structures. The author also discusses a homological realization of the quantum \(W\)-algebras based on the BRST cohomological reduction procedure for Lie algebras. Further, the author defines a quantum group counterpart of the category of generalized Gelfand-Graev representations and establishes an equivalences between this category and the category of representations of the corresponding quantum \(W\)-algebra. Although these quantum \(W\)-algebra are quantum group analogues of the classical \(W\)-algebra, in general the former are not deformations of the latter. Finally, the author formulates a conjecture about the structure of algebraic groups which would imply the De Concini-Kac-Procesi conjecture about dimensions of irreducible finite dimensional representations of \(U_{\varepsilon}(\mathfrak{g})\).