Real-simple exception to uniqueness of the Killing form

ID: real-simple-exception-to-uniqueness-of-the-killing-form

The usual uniqueness theorem assumes a complex simple Lie algebra, or a real form with simple complexification. For a complex simple algebra regarded as real, both and define a real symmetric invariant bilinear form on a Lie algebra, and they are linearly independent. The real Killing form is . For and , and , proving the independence. This real algebra is simple: its real complexification is two complex simple ideals exchanged by conjugation, and a real ideal would complexify to a conjugation-stable sum of these ideals, hence either zero or the whole algebra.

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