Fully commutative elements and spherical nilpotent orbits (Q2675055)

Let \(\mathfrak{g}\) be a complex simple Lie algebra, with fixed Borel subalgebra \(\mathfrak{b} \subset \mathfrak{g}\) and with Weyl group \(W\). The author generalizes the work of \textit{C. K. Fan} and \textit{J. R. Stembridge} [J. Algebra 196, No. 2, 490--498 (1997; Zbl 0915.20019)] describing, in the simply laced case, the fully commutative elements of \(W\) and their connection with the spherical nilpotent orbits in \(\mathfrak{g}\). Let \(\phi\) be the set of roots of \(\mathfrak{g}\) and let \(\phi(w) = \{\alpha\in\phi | w(a)\in \phi^-\}\) be the set of inversions corresponding to \(w\in W\). In the simply laced case \(w\) is fully commutative if and only if \(w\) is commutative, i.e. \(\phi (w)\) satisfies the following property: \(\alpha, \beta\in \phi(w) \Rightarrow \alpha+\beta \notin \phi(w)\). This means that \(\bigoplus_{\alpha\in \phi(w)}\mathfrak{q}_\alpha\) is an abelian subalgebra of the nilradical \(\mathfrak{n}\) of \(\mathfrak{b}\). In the general case the commutative property is strictly stronger than the fully commutative property. Let \(N = G.\mathfrak{n}\) be the subvariety of nilpotent elements in \(\mathfrak{g}\). The (surjective) Steinberg map \(St : W \rightarrow N/G\) associates a nilpotent orbit to each \(w\in W\). In the simply laced case \(w\) is (fully) commutative if and only if \(St(ww_0)\) is a spherical \(G\)-orbit, i.e. it contains an open \(B\)-orbit. This work generalizes such result: if \(G\) is doubly laced, then \(w\) is fully commutative if and only if \(St(ww_0)\) is spherical. This means that the subalgebra \(\bigoplus_{\alpha\in \phi(w)}\mathfrak{q}_\alpha\) of \(\mathcal{b}\) lies in the closure of a spherical nilpotent orbit. The author give a similar characterization for the ad-nilpotent ideals of \(\mathfrak{b}\), which are parametrized by suitable elements in the affine Weyl group of \(\mathfrak{g}\) thanks to the work of \textit{P. Cellini} and \textit{P. Papi} [J. Algebr. Comb. 11, No. 1, 5--16 (2000; Zbl 0952.20029)].