Complete reducibility for Lie subalgebras and semisimplification (Q6146107)

Let \(G\) be a connected reductive linear algebraic group over a field \(k\). If \(H\) is a subgroup of \(G\), then \(H\) is said to be \(G\)-completely reducible over \(k\) (\(G\)-cr over \(k\)) if for any parabolic \(k\)-subgroup \(P\) of \(G\) such that \(P\) contains \(H\), there is a Levi \(k\)-subgroup \(L\) of \(P\) such that \(L\) contains \(H\). Also \(H\) is said to be \(G\)-irreducible over \(k\) (\(G\)-ir over \(k\)) if \(H\) is not contained in any proper parabolic \(k\)-subgroup of \(G\) at all. Finally, \(H\) is \(G\)-completely reducible (\(G\)-cr) if \(H\) is \(G\)-completely reducible over \( \bar{k} \), an algebraic closure of \(k\). The main focus in the paper under review is the development of the analogues for Lie algebras. Namely, a subalgebra \( \mathfrak{h} \) of the Lie algebra \( \mathfrak{g} = \mathrm{Lie} ( G ) \) of \(G\) is \(G\)-completely reducible over \(k\) (\(G\)-cr over \(k\)) if for any parabolic \(k\)-subgroup \(P\) of \(G\) such that \( \mathfrak{h}\subseteq \mathrm{Lie} ( P ) \), there is a Levi \(k\)-subgroup \(L\) of \(P\) such that \( \mathfrak{h}\subseteq \mathrm{Lie} ( L ) \). Further, \( \mathfrak{h} \) is called \(G\)-irreducible over \(k\) (\(G\)-ir over \(k\)) if \( \mathfrak{h} \) is not contained in \(\mathrm{Lie} ( P ) \) for any proper parabolic \(k\)-subgroup \(P\) of \(G\) at all. Also \( \mathfrak{h} \) is called \(G\)-indecomposable over \(k\) (\(G\)-ind over \(k\)) if \( \mathfrak{h} \) is not contained in \( \mathrm{Lie} ( L ) \) for any proper Levi \(k\)-subgroup \(L\) of \(G\). As in the subgroup case, \(\mathfrak{h}\) is said to be \(G\)-completely reducible (resp., \(G\)-irreducible, \(G\)-indecomposable) if it is \(G\)-completely reducible over \( \bar{k} \) (resp., \(G\)-irreducible over \( \bar{k} \), \(G\)-indecomposable over \( \bar{k} \)). The notion of \(G\)-complete reducibility for subgroups and subalgebras generalizes the concept of semisimplicity from representation theory. All these concepts serve as a background for a new concept of \(k\)-semisimplification of a Lie subalgebra of \( \mathfrak{g} \) that generalizes the concept of \(k\)-semisimplification for subgroups of \(G\). More precisely, if \(H\) is a subgroup of \(G\), then a subgroup \(H'\) of \(G\) is a \(k\)-semisimplification of \(H\) (for \(G\)) provided there exist a parabolic \(k\)-subgroup \(P\) of \(G\) and a Levi \(k\)-subgroup \(L\) of \(P\) such that \( H\subseteq P, H' = c_{L} ( H ) \) and \(H'\) is \(G\)-completely reducible (or equivalently \(L\)-completely reducible) over \(k\), where \( c_{L}\colon P\rightarrow L \) is the canonical projection; in addition, the pair \( ( P, L ) \) is said to yield \(H'\). Again let \( \mathfrak{h} \) be a subalgebra of \( \mathfrak{g} = \mathrm{Lie} ( G ) \). Then a Lie subalgebra \(\mathfrak{h}'\) of \( \mathfrak{g} \) is a \(k\)-semisimplification of \( \mathfrak{h} \) (for \(G\)) if there exist a parabolic \(k\)-subgroup \(P\) of \(G\) and a Levi \(k\)-subgroup \(L\) of \(P\) such that \( \mathfrak{h}\subseteq \mathrm{Lie} ( P ), \mathfrak{h}' = c_{\mathrm{Lie}(L)} ( \mathfrak{h} ) \) and \(\mathfrak{h}'\) is \(G\)-completely reducible (or equivalently \(L\)-completely reducible) over \(k\). The pair \( ( P, L ) \) is said to yield \(\mathfrak{h}'\). The authors prove that the \(k\)-semisimplification of a subalgebra \(\mathfrak{h}\) of \( \mathfrak{g} \) is unique up to Ad\((G(k))\)-conjugacy (Theorem 5.8). Moreover, for \(H\) a closed subgroup of \(G\) and \(H'\) a \(k\)-semisimplification of \(H\), they show that Lie\((H')\) is a \(k\)-semisimplification of Lie\((H)\) (Theorem 5.9). They also prove some results of independent interest about \(G\)-complete reducibility for subalgebras. Solvable subalgebras are considered in the paper too. Theorem 7.3 gives a necessary condition for a subalgebra to be \(G\)-completely reducible when char\((k) = p > 0\) is sufficiently large, and yields a characterisation of \(G\)-completely reducible subalgebras when char\((k) = 0\). The authors discuss and use some related results of R.~Richardson on the application of geometric invariant theory to the study of \(G\)-complete reducibility [\textit{R. Richardson}, Duke Math. J. 57, No. 1, 1--35 (1988; Zbl 0685.20035)].