\(G\)-character varieties for \(G =\mathrm{SO}(n,\mathbb{C})\) and other not simply connected groups (Q2341315)

Let \(G\) be an affine reductive algebraic group over \(\mathbb{C}\) (or any other algebraically closed field of characteristic zero). For any finitely generated group \(\Gamma\) we let \(X_{G}\left( \Gamma\right) =\text{Hom}\left( \Gamma,G\right) //G,\) where \(G\) acts on \(\text{Hom}\left( \Gamma,G\right) \) by conjugation. Then \(X_{G}\left( \Gamma\right) \) is called the \(G\)-character variety of \(\Gamma.\) The work under review is a study of \(X_{G}\left( \Gamma\right) \) when \(G\) is not simply connected. Suppose \(G\) is not simply connected, and let \(H\) be a finite central subgroup. For \(\Gamma\) a free group of rank \(N\) the projection \(G\rightarrow G/H\) induces a map \(X_{G}\left( \Gamma\right) /H^{N}\rightarrow X_{G/H}\left( \Gamma\right) ,\) and this allows for a construction of a generating set for the coordinate ring \(\mathbb{C}\left[ X_{G/H}\left( \Gamma\right) \right] .\) Applying this to the case \(G=\mathrm{SO}\left( 4,\mathbb{C}\right) =\left( \text{SL}\left( 2,\mathbb{C}\right) \times\text{SL}\left( 2,\mathbb{C}\right) \right) /\left( \mathbb{Z}/2\mathbb{Z}\right) \) provides an explicit generating set for \(\mathbb{C}\left( X_{\mathrm{SO}\left( 4,\mathbb{C}\right) }\left( \Gamma\right) \right) \) when \(N=2\). These results are then applied to the more general case \(G=\mathrm{SO}\left( 2n,\mathbb{C} \right) ,\) where \(\mathbb{C}\left[ X_{G}\left( \Gamma\right) \right] \) is not necessarily equal to \(\mathcal{T}:=\mathcal{T}_{G}\left( \Gamma\right) ,\) the \(G\)-trace algebra of \(\Gamma.\) However, for \(\Gamma\) free a generating set for \(\mathbb{C}\left[ X_{\mathrm{SO}\left( 2n,\mathbb{C}\right) }\left( \Gamma\right) \right] \) as a \(\mathcal{T}\)-module is given. In the case \(\Gamma\) is free of rank two and \(G=\mathrm{SO}\left( 4,\mathbb{C}\right) \) the coordinate ring of \(X_{G}\left( \Gamma\right) \) is described as a module over the full \(G\)-trace algebra \(\mathcal{FT}_{G}\left( \Gamma\right) \) is provided, and it is shown that \(\mathcal{FT}_{G}\left( \Gamma\right) \subsetneq\mathbb{C}\left[ X_{G}\left( \Gamma\right) \right] .\) As a consequence, of these results, for every \(\Gamma\) free of corank at least 2 \(\mathcal{FT}_{\mathrm{SO}\left( 4,\mathbb{C}\right) }\left( \Gamma\right) \) is a proper subalgebra of \(\mathbb{C}\left[ X_{\mathrm{SO}\left( 4,\mathbb{C}\right) }\right] ,\) and it is conjectured that the same holds for \(G=\mathrm{SO}\left( 2n,\mathbb{C}\right) \) in general.