Complements of connected subgroups in algebraic groups. (Q2504993)

Let \(G\) be a connected algebraic group over an algebraically closed field \(k\), and \(\Lambda G\) be the poset of closed connected subgroups on \(G\) (partially ordered by containment). Then \(\Lambda G\) can be given the structure of a lattice by defining for subgroups \(A,B\in\Lambda G\), the ``meet'' \(A\wedge B\) of \(A\) and \(B\) to be the connected component of the identity in \(A\cap B\) and the ``join'' \(A\vee B\) of \(A\) and \(B\) to be the algebraic subgroup of \(G\) generated by \(A\) and \(B\). A lattice is said to be ``complemented'' if every element of the lattice admits a complement. In this setting, given \(A\in\Lambda G\), a complement to \(A\) is a subgroup \(B\in\Lambda G\) such that \(A\wedge B=\{1\}\) and \(A\vee B=G\). A stronger condition on a lattice is the notion of being ``relatively complemented'', which requires that every closed interval admit a complement. In \(\Lambda G\) a closed interval has the form \([A,B]=\{X\in\Lambda G:A\subseteq X\subseteq B\}\). A complement to this interval is an element \(Y\in\Lambda G\) such that \(X\wedge Y=A\) and \(X\vee Y=B\) for all \(X\in [A,B]\). The goal of this paper is to determine those connected algebraic groups \(G\) such that \(\Lambda G\) is complemented or relatively complemented. This work follows some similar investigations that have been done for abstract groups. The Frattini subgroup \(\Phi G\) of \(G\) is defined to be the meet of all maximal elements of \(\Lambda G\). Note that \(\Phi G\) is an element of \(\Lambda G\) and can only admit a complement if \(\Phi G=\{1\}\). Hence, for \(\Lambda G\) to be complemented (or relatively complemented), one must have \(\Phi G=\{1\}\). In fact, the authors show that \(\Lambda G\) is complemented if and only if \(\Phi G=\{1\}\). The proof makes use of a unique decomposition of \(G\) into a product of a maximal connected affine algebraic subgroup with a central subgroup (which is the minimal connected algebraic subgroup of \(G\) having affine quotient). These subgroups have a number of nice properties with respect to the lattice operations which allows the authors to reduce the problem to the case that \(G\) is affine. In the process, a more precise description of \(G\) with \(\Lambda G\) complemented is given. The authors go on to determine those \(G\) such that \(\Lambda G\) is relatively complemented. Consider a closed interval of the form \([H,G]\) in \(\Lambda G\). As above, the meet of all maximal elements in this interval lies in the interval and would only have a complement if the meet is \(H\). If for all \(H\in\Lambda G\), this occurs, \(G\) is said to be an ``IM-group''. Once again the authors show that \(\Lambda G\) is relatively complemented if and only if \(G\) is an IM-group. Again, a more precise structural description of such groups is given.