On the orbit method and the homomorphism of Harish-Chandra (Q1305450)

Let \(\mathfrak g\) be a finite dimensional complex semisimple Lie algebra with adjoint group \(G\) and let \(A({\mathfrak g})\) be the Weyl algebra of the differential operators on \(\mathfrak g\) with polynomial coefficients. For a Cartan subalgebra \(\mathfrak h\) of \(\mathfrak g\) with the associated Weyl group \(W\), \textit{Harish-Chandra} [Am. J. Math. 86, 534-564 (1964; Zbl 0161.33804)] defined an algebra homomorphism \(\delta: A({\mathfrak g})^G\to A({\mathfrak h})^W\). \textit{N.~R. Wallach} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 6, 779--816 (1993; Zbl 0804.22004)] and in the general case \textit{T.~ Levasseur} and \textit{J. T. Stafford} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 8, 365--372 (1995; Zbl 0837.22011)] proved that the sequence \[ 0\to {\mathcal F}\to A({\mathfrak g})^G\to A({\mathfrak h})^W\to 0 \] is exact, where the ideal \(\mathcal F\) of \(A({\mathfrak g})^G\) is the annihilator of the algebra of \(G\)-invariants of the symmetric algebra of \({\mathfrak g}^{\ast}\). The first main result of the paper under review is the exactness of a similar sequence \[ 0\to \widehat{\mathcal F}\to \widehat A({\mathfrak g})^G\to\widehat A({\mathfrak h})^W\to 0 \] involving formal power series instead of polynomials. Then the author considers the homomorphism \(L_{\mathfrak g}:U({\mathfrak g})\to \widehat A({\mathfrak g})\) used in [\textit{J. Dixmier}, Non-commutative harmonic analysis, Proc., Marseille-Luminy 1978, Lect. Notes Math. 728, 42--63 (1979; Zbl 0409.22003)] to construct primitive ideals in \(U({\mathfrak g})\). He calculates the image of the central elements of \(U({\mathfrak g})\) when \(\mathfrak g\) is semisimple and describes explicitly the minimal primitive ideals attached to the regular orbits \({\mathfrak g}^{\ast}/G\).