A finiteness theorem for parabolic subgroups of fixed modality (Q1359391)

Let \(P\) be a connected algebraic subgroup of a simple algebraic group \(G\) over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero. The group \(P\) operates on its unipotent radical \(R_u\) by inner automorphisms. The maximal number \(m\) with the property that there is a \(P\)-invariant irreducible subvariety \(Z\) of \(R_u\) and a \(P\)-orbit \(A\) in \(Z\) with \(\text{codim}_ZA=m\) is called the modality of \(P\). The author shows that every simple group \(G\) which contains a parabolic subgroup \(P\) with given semisimple rank \(r\) and modality \(m\) has to fulfill the inequality \(\text{rk }G\leq 2mr+7r+4m+12\). Therefore the set of non-isomorphic groups \(G\) with this property is finite. The result can be generalized to semisimple groups \(G\) under the additional assumption that there is a fixed bound for the number of factors of \(P\) with modality 0.