The exterior algebra and ``spin'' of an orthogonal \({\mathfrak g}\)-module (Q1601416)

Let \(k\) be an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero. Let \(\mathfrak{g}\) be a reductive Lie algebra over \(k\) with corresponding connected and simply connected group \(G\). A result of Kostant, namely the description of the \(G\)-module structure for the exterior algebra of \(\mathfrak{g},\) is generalized to the isotropy representations of symmetric spaces. The paper starts by describing all irreducible orthogonal \(\mathfrak{g}\)-modules \(\mathbb{V}\) such that the algebra of skew invariants \((\wedge ^{\bullet}\mathbb{V})^{\mathfrak{g}}\) is free. With this condition it is shown that either \({\mathbb V}\cong\mathfrak{g}\) (and hence \(\mathfrak{g}\) is simple) or that \(\mathfrak{g}\oplus\mathbb{V}\) is a simple \(\mathbb{Z}_{2}\)-graded Lie algebra. For the latter case, the results are presented in a table, providing, among other things, the Poincaré polynomial of \((\wedge^{\bullet }\mathbb{V})^{\mathfrak{g}}\) as well as the graded subspace \(P\subset (\wedge^{\bullet}\mathbb{V})^{\mathfrak{g}}\) for which \((\wedge^{\bullet }\mathbb{V})^{\mathfrak{g}}\) is the exterior algebra over \(P\). If \(\mathbb{V}\) is orthogonal, then the authors describe the ``spin'' of \(\mathbb{V}\) in an effort to understand the \(\mathfrak{g}\)-module structure of \(\wedge^{\bullet}\mathbb{V}\). Here Spin(\(\mathbb{V}\)) is the \(\mathfrak{g} \)-module structure obtained by restricting the spinor representation of \(\mathfrak{so}(\mathbb{V})\) to \(\mathfrak{g}\). It turns out that \(\wedge^{\bullet}\mathbb{V}\) is isomorphic to either Spin(\(\mathbb{V} \))\(^{\otimes 2}\) or to \(2\)-Spin(\(\mathbb{V}\))\(^{\otimes 2},\) depending on the dimension of \(\mathbb{V}\). From here the author introduces the reduced spin Spin\(_{0}\)(\(\mathbb{V}\)), which is obtained from Spin(\(\mathbb{V}\)) by omitting a certain numerical factor. If Spin\(_{0}\)(\(\mathbb{V}\)) is irreducible, then \(\mathbb{V}\) is called coprimary. Coprimary modules are then classified by classifying the irreducible ones and then using a ``direct-sum procedure''. The irreducible coprimary modules depend on the nature of \(\mathfrak{g}\): if \(\mathfrak{g}\) is simple then \(\mathbb{V}\cong\mathfrak{g;}\) if \(\mathfrak{g}\) is of type \(B_{n},\) \(C_{n},\) or \(F_{4}\) then \(\mathbb{V}\) is the little adjoint module; if \(\mathfrak{g=so}(\mathbb{W})\) then \(\mathbb{V}\) is the Cartan component of \(\mathcal{S}^{2}\mathbb{W}\) when \(\mathbb{W}\) has odd dimension (greater than one). It is then shown that Spin\(_{0}(\mathbb{V})\) gives a nice description for all symmetric spaces. This is due to the fact that any coprimary representation is a specific isotropy representation. Finally, Spin(\(\mathbb{V}\)) is called decomposably generated if all of its highest weight vectors are extreme. A conjecture is presented here that says Spin(\(\mathbb{V}\)) is decomposably generated if and only if \(\mathfrak{g}\oplus\mathbb{V}\) is a \(\mathbb{Z}_{2}\)-graded semisimple Lie algebra. This conjecture is proved for isotropy representations of affine homogeneous spaces \(G/H\) with rank \(\mathfrak{g=}\)rank \(\mathfrak{h}\).