The sum of the false degrees -- a mystery in the theory of invariants (Q2470413)

Let \(\mathfrak g\) be a semisimple Lie algebra over the complex numbers, and let \(\mathfrak p\) be a parabolic subalgebra of \(\mathfrak g\). The main theme of the paper is the open problem whether the semicenter \(\text{Sz} ({\mathfrak p})\) of the enveloping algebra of \(\mathfrak p\) is a polynomial algebra. Positive answers were given by Chevalley for \({\mathfrak p}={\mathfrak g}\), by \textit{A. Joseph} [J. Algebra 48, 241--289 (1977; Zbl 0405.17007)] if \(\mathfrak p\) is a Borel subalgebra, and by \textit{F. Fauquant-Millet} and \textit{A. Joseph} [Ann. Sci. Éc. Norm. Supér. 38, No. 2, 155--191 (2005; Zbl 1158.17002)] if \(\mathfrak g\) is a product of Lie algebras of type \(A\) or \(C\). There are some cases where \(\text{Sz} ({\mathfrak p})\) is a polynomial algebra, but the degrees of its generators are not the expected ones. This leads to the so called ``false degrees'' defined by underlying combinatorial structure. The authors construct a linear map from \(\text{Sz} ({\mathfrak b}^-)\) to the center \(\text{Z}({\mathfrak g})\) of the enveloping algebra of \(\mathfrak g\), which is related to the polynomiality of \(\text{Sz} ({\mathfrak p})\). This map is an isomorphism if \(\mathfrak g\) has only factors of type \(A\) or \(C\), and also it preserves the degrees in this case. It is proved that in general the sum of the false degrees is \(\frac{1}{2}(\text{dim}\; {\mathfrak p}+\text{index}(\mathfrak p))\), where \(\text{index}(\mathfrak p)\) is the minimal codimension of a coadjoint orbit of \(\mathfrak p\). In order to do this, the index of \(\mathfrak p\) is computed in terms of certain subsets of orbits of the system of simple roots of \(\mathfrak g\). This is also used to prove the Tauvel-Yu conjecture [\textit{P. Tauvel} and \textit{R. W. T. Yu}, Ann. Inst. Fourier 54, No. 6, 1793--1810 (2004; Zbl 1137.17300)] on the index of a parabolic subalgebra.