Wei-Norman equations for classical groups via cominuscule induction (Q745025)

The Wei-Norman method was developed by its authors in order to reduce a system of linear differential equations with variable coefficients to a nonlinear one. The present paper is devoted to a unified approach based on the cominuscule induction, which works for all complex reductive Lie groups having no simple factors of type \(G_2\), \(F_4\) or \(E_8\). Moreover, for the case of simple Lie groups for which the cominuscule induction is not applicable, it is proved that employing the contact grading of the corresponding Lie algebra gives the Wei-Norman equations in the form of coupled first-order equations of at most fourth degree (compared to two in the cominuscule case). Since the contact grading exists for all simple Lie algebras, these results exhibit the structure of the Wei-Norman equations for all reductive complex Lie groups.