On commutative polarizations. (Q1398146)

Let \(L\) be a finite dimensional Lie algebra over a field of characteristic 0 and let \(D(L)\) be the quotient division ring of the universal enveloping algebra \(U(L)\) of \(L\). Let \(P\) be a commutative subalgebra of \(L\). One of the authors [\textit{A. I. Ooms}, J. Algebra 230, 694--712 (2000; Zbl 1126.17300)] found a necessary and sufficient condition on \(P\) in order for \(D(P)\) to be a maximal (commutative) subfield of \(D(L)\). This condition is satisfied when \(P\) is a commutative polarization with respect to any regular \(f\in L^{\ast}\) and the converse holds if \(L\) is ad-algebraic. (\(P\subset L\) is a polarization with respect to \(f\) if \(f([P,P])=0\) and \(\dim P=(\dim L+\dim L(f))/2\), where \(L(f)=\{x\in L\mid f([x,L])=0\}\), i.e. \(P\) is a maximal totally isotropic subspace of \(L\) with respect to the bilinear form \(f([x,y])\).) The purpose of the paper under review is to study Lie algebras admitting such commutative polarizations and to demonstrate their widespread occurrence. First, the authors characterize the completely solvable Lie algebras with commutative polarizations. In partiular, they show that in low dimensions this phenomenon appears quite frequently. For example, they study the list of all indecomposable nilpotent Lie algebras of dimension \(\leq 7\) and determine which of them are without commutative polarizations. (The answer is only very few of them.) Then the authors show that nonabelian Lie algebras having a nondegenerate invariant bilinear form do not admit any commutative polarization. Further, if the base field is algebraically closed, \(L\) is solvable and admits a commutative polarization, then it admits such a polarization which is an ideal. Then the authors investigate commutative polarizations in Frobenius Lie algebras and in the nil radical of the Borel subalgebra and of parabolic subalgebras of a simple Lie algebra. They prove that in the case of Borel subalgebras such a polarization exists only for algebras of types A and C. Finally, the authors study extensions of Lie algebras which preserve the property that the algebra admits a commutative polarization.