Multiple rational normal forms in Lie theory (Q6862610)

Let \(G\) be a connected complex reductive algebraic group, with opposite Borel subgroups \(\mathcal{B}^+,\mathcal{B}^-\), unipotent radicals \(\mathcal{N}^\pm\), Cartan subgroup \(\mathcal{H}=\mathcal{B}^+\cap\mathcal{B}^-\) and Weyl group \(W=N_G(\mathcal{H})/\mathcal{H}\). The paper studies the problem of describing those \(u\in W\) for which there exist rational maps \(N:G\rightarrow\mathcal{N}^-\) and \(B:G\rightarrow\mathcal{B}^+\) such that a generic \(g\in G\) admits a factorization of the form \(g=N(g)B(g)\bar u N(g)^{-1}\), where \(\bar u\in N_G(\mathcal{H})\) represents \(u\).\N\NA combinatorial criterion is introduced via the \(\nu\)-sequence \(\nu^0(u)=u(\Pi^+)\cap\Pi^+\) and \(\nu^k(u)=u(\mathrm{Adj}\,\nu^{k-1}(u))\cap\Pi^+\) and via an oriented graph \(\Gamma(u)\) on the vertex set \(\nu^0(u)\) with an edge \(\alpha\to\beta\) if and only if \(u^{-1}(\alpha)\le \beta\). An element \(u\) is called rational if and only if \(\nu(u)=\varnothing\), equivalently if and only if \(\Gamma(u)\) has no cycles. Theorem 2.7 proves that every rational \(u\in W\) yields the desired factorization and conversely that any solution of the factorization problem with \(\ell(u)\ge \ell(w_0)-2\) is rational. The paper also shows that \(u\) is a solution if and only if a natural map \(\mathcal{N}^-\times\mathcal{B}^+\to G\), \((n,b)\mapsto nb\bar u n^{-1}\), is birational and derives uniqueness and \(\mathcal{N}^-\)-equivariance properties of the corresponding maps \(B\) and \(N\).\N\NThe set of rational elements is organized into the rationality graph \(\Gamma(W)\) whose vertices are rational Weyl group elements and whose edges correspond to multiplication by simple reflections. Theorem 2.14 shows that \(\Gamma(W)\) is connected and has a \(\mathbb{Z}_2\)-symmetry centered at \(w_0\) and that \(\Gamma(W)\) has more than one vertex if and only if \(w_0\neq -\mathrm{id}\). In type \(A_r\), Proposition~2.15 characterizes the rational Coxeter elements as exactly \(C=s_1\cdots s_r\) and \(C^{-1}\) and it also determines their valency in the rationality graph \(\Gamma(A_r)\). The same proposition gives the corresponding counts and adjacency in types \(D_r\) (with \(r\) odd) and \(E_6\).