On the Hattori-Stallings trace for certain primitive factors of enveloping algebras of semisimple Lie algebras (Q1895783)

Let \({\mathfrak g}\) be a semisimple Lie algebra over an algebraically closed field \(k\) of characteristic zero, with Cartan subalgebra \({\mathfrak h}\). For every \(\lambda \in {\mathfrak h}^*\), let \(M (\lambda)\) be the corresponding Verma module, and let \(U_ \lambda = U({\mathfrak g})/ \text{Ann} M (\lambda)\). \textit{T. Hodges} has shown [Bull. Sci. Math., II. Ser. 113, 85-88 (1989; Zbl 0672.17008)] that, for \(\lambda\) antidominant and regular, \(K_ 0 (U_ \lambda)\) is generated by the classes of the modules of \({\mathfrak g}\)-finite homomorphisms \(L(M (\lambda + \nu), M(\lambda))\), for \(\nu\) integral. In this paper we show that the Hattori- Stallings trace of the latter module equals \(P(\lambda + \nu)/P (\lambda)\), where \(P\) denotes the Weyl dimension polynomial.