Cohomology of the minimal nilpotent orbit (Q941092)

The purpose of this article is to compute the integral cohomology of the minimal nilpotent orbit \(\mathcal O\) in the Lie algebra \(\mathfrak g\) of a quasi-simple complex Lie group \(G\). If \(x\in \mathcal O\) and \(P=N_G({\mathbb C}x)\) (a parabolic subgroup of \(G\)) then there is an isomorphism \(G\times _P {\mathbb C}^* x\longrightarrow \mathcal O\). The cohomology of \(\mathcal O\) is computed using the Gysin sequence associated to the \(\mathbb C^*\)-fibration of this isomorphism. In particular, using this sequence in combination with root system combinatorics, the author is able to express the middle integral cohomology of \(\mathcal O\) in terms of coweight and coroot lattices associated with a parabolic subsystem of roots. The author, through case by case analysis, also concludes that if \(\ell\) is a good prime for \(G\), then there is no \(\ell\)-torsion in the rest of the cohomology of \(\mathcal O\). The final section of the article gives an alternate method for computing the cohomology of \(\mathcal O\) that applies only for algebras of type \(A_n\).