A new approach to Kac's theorem on representations of valued quivers. (Q1416698)

\textit{P. Gabriel}'s theorem [Manuscr. Math. 6, 71-103 (1972); Berichtigung ibid. 6, 309 (1972; Zbl 0232.08001)] provides a connection between root systems and representations of quivers of Dynkin type; there is a bijection between positive roots of a root system of given Dynkin type and indecomposable representations (which in this special case are determined by their dimension vectors) of an (oriented) quiver of the same Dynkin type. This has been generalized by \textit{V. G. Kac} [Invent. Math. 56, 57-92 (1980; Zbl 0427.17001), Lect. Notes Math. 996, 74-108 (1983; Zbl 0534.14004)], and subsequently by others, to Kac-Moody Lie algebras (and even more general classes of Lie algebras). Kac's theorem gives a bijection between positive roots and dimension vectors of indecomposable representations. Kac-Moody Lie algebras correspond to symmetrizable Cartan matrices, which in turn correspond to valued graphs (species in the sense of Dlab and Ringel); the simply laced case (i.e., symmetric matrices) corresponds to quivers (graphs with trivial valuation). Kac had studied the simply laced case. The article under review develops a new (and rather different) approach to such results. Using the structure of Ringel-Hall algebras and their doubles, the authors prove the analogue of Kac's theorem for valued graphs (without oriented cycles) over finite fields. Moreover, the authors extend to valued quivers work of \textit{B. Sevenhant} and \textit{M. Van den Bergh} [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 160, No. 2-3, 319-332 (2001; Zbl 1025.17006)] on reformulating a still open conjecture by Kac on counting isomorphism classes of absolutely indecomposable representations of valued quivers over finite fields. Related results have been obtained by \textit{A. Hubery} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 69, No. 1, 79-96 (2004; Zbl 1062.16021)].