Splints of classical root systems (Q1928603)

Suppose \(\mathfrak{g}\) is a complex semisimple Lie algebra. The main result is concerning a particular branching rule with respect to a Lie subalgebra, in which the irreducible modules appearing in the branching are the weights of a representation of an auxiliary Lie algebra. The author defines and classifies splints of root systems of complex semisimple Lie algebras. Namely, a pair \((\Delta_1,\Delta_2)\) of subsystems of a root system \(\Delta\) is a \textit{splint} of \(\Delta\) if there are embeddings \(\iota_i:\Delta_i\hookrightarrow\Delta\), \(i=1,2\), such that \(\Delta\) is a disjoint union of the images of \(\iota_1\) and \(\iota_2\), and neither the rank of \(\Delta_1\) nor the rank of \(\Delta_2\) exceeds the rank of \(\Delta\). In a few instances, splints play a role in determining branching rules of a module over a complex semisimple Lie algebra when restricted to a subalgebra. In these particular cases, the set of submodules with respect to the subalgebra themselves may be regarded as the character of another Lie algebra.