Another presentation for symplectic Steinberg groups (Q2349925)

Let \(R\) be a commutative ring and let \(\Phi\) be a reduced irreducible root system. Denote by \(\mathrm{G}(\Phi, R)\) the split simply-connected Chevalley group of type \(\Phi\) over \(R\). Denote by \(\mathrm{E}(\Phi, R)\) the elementary subgroup of \(\mathrm{G}(\Phi, R)\), i.\,e. the subgroup spanned as an abstract group by all elementary root unipotents (or, alternatively, by a pair of opposite unipotent radicals of the Borel subgroup of \(\mathrm{G}(\Phi, R)\)). Let \(\mathrm{St}(\Phi, R)\) be the Steinberg group of type \(\Phi\) over \(R\), i. e., the group defined by formal generators modeling elementary root unipotents subject to usual Steinberg relations. Denote by \(\mathrm{K}_2(\Phi, R)\) the kernel of the canonical map \(\mathrm{St}(\Phi, R) \rightarrow \mathrm{G}(\Phi, R)\). One of the two main results of the paper asserts that \(\mathrm{K}_2(\mathsf{C}_\ell, R)\) is contained in the centre of \(\mathrm{St}(\mathsf{C}_\ell, R)\) for arbitrary commutative ring \(R\) and \(\ell \geq 3\). As a corollary one obtains that \(\mathrm{St}(\mathsf{C}_\ell, R)\) is a universal central extension of \(\mathrm{E}(\mathsf{C}_\ell, R)\). Similar statements has been previously known only for \(\Phi=\mathsf{A}_\ell\), \(\ell \geq 3\) while for \(\Phi\) of rank \(2\) there are known counterexamples. Another main result of the paper is a presentation of the symplectic Steinberg group \(\mathrm{St}(\mathsf{C}_\ell, R)\), \(\ell \geq 3\) formulated in terms of generators modeling symplectic Eichler--Siegel--Dickson transvections. This presentation is analogous to ``another presentation'' of the linear Steinberg group obtained by \textit{W.~van der Kallen} [Nederl. Akad. Wet., Proc., Ser. A 80, 304--312 (1977; Zbl 0375.20034)].