Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2022 4 a Solution 2026-10-25
Use the A5 root system with simple roots for , in the hyperplane . The Dynkin diagram is the five-node chainIts Cartan matrix isDeleting the final node leaves the A4 root system, with simple roots . Concretely, the Lie algebra homomorphism sends to and preserves the Lie bracket. This realizes the required Lie subalgebra and fixes the embedding used below.
Past exam of the groups and representations course of the University of Oxford 2025 4 c Solution 2026-10-25
For the standard A4 root system inside the A5 root system, let delete the fifth Dynkin label. Put for . These are precisely the five weights of the defining fundamental representation:Since , the six projected weights of are . The first five form the dual representation , with highest weight ; the last is a singlet. ThusFor , split the fifteen weights in b into the ten pairs with and the five pairs . The former project to , the complete weight decomposition of , with highest weight . The latter project to , the complete weight decomposition of . ThereforeThis restriction of a representation can also be checked without a table: , so its dual representation is , while its exterior square is . The dimensions match and .
SU(5) 2026-10-25
The special unitary group on has dimension . Its complexified Lie algebra is , with the A4 root system. Its defining representation, exterior square and symmetric square have dimensions , and .