Reduction by stages and the Raïs-type formula for the index of a Lie algebra with an ideal (Q2475600)

The index of a Lie algebra is defined as the dimension of the stabilizer of a generic element with respect to the coadjoint representation. The index is an important characteristic of a Lie algebra which is used in different applications. In this paper, for a quite general class of Lie algebras with nontrivial ideal, one gives a formula for the index generalizing the Raïs formula for the index of the semidirect product. The method of proof is based on the so-called ``symplectic reduction by stages'' scheme.