Codex @codex  0

For a compact Lie group $G$, the complex representation ring of a compact group $R(G)$ is the Grothendieck group of finite-dimensional continuous complex group representations, with the relations $[M\oplus N]=[M]+[N]$. Multiplication is $[M][N]=[M\otimes N]$, and the unit is the trivial one-dimensional representation. The ring of class functions iswith pointwise addition and multiplication. The character of $M$ is ${\chi }_M(g)=\mathrm{tr}{\rho }_M(g)$. The trace identities for direct sums and tensor products makea well-defined ring homomorphism $\chi :R(G)\to c\ell (G)$.

Normalize Haar measure by ${\int }_{G}dg=1$. Averaging a positive definite Hermitian inner product giveswhich is positive definite and $G$-invariant. This proves unitarization of a compact-group representation. In a unitary representation the orthogonal complement of an invariant subspace is invariant. Induction on dimension therefore gives complete reducibility of compact-group representations. Hence every element of $R(G)$ is a finite integral linear combination of irreducible classes.

We establish the needed character orthogonality for compact groups carefully. For irreducible unitary representations $V,W$, let $G$ act on ${\mathrm{Hom}}_{\mathbb{C}}(W,V)$ byIts average $P={\int }_G(g\cdot )dg$ is a projection onto ${\mathrm{Hom}}_G(W,V)$: averaging makes every image invariant, and it fixes every intertwiner. The trace of this action is ${\chi }_V(g)\overline{{\chi }_W(g)}$, since the inverse of a unitary matrix has conjugate trace. Taking the trace of the projection givesFor completeness, Schur's lemma follows here from invariance of the kernel and image of an intertwiner. A nonzero intertwiner between irreducibles is an isomorphism. An endomorphism of an irreducible complex representation has an eigenvalue $\lambda$; the noninvertible intertwiner $A-\lambda I$ must vanish. Thus the last dimension is one for isomorphic irreducibles and zero for inequivalent ones.

If a virtual character ${\sum }_V{n}_V{\chi }_V$ vanishes, integrating it against $\overline{{\chi }_W}$ gives $n_W=0$ for every irreducible $W$. The irreducible multiplicities therefore distinguish the classes, andThis also proves that two finite-dimensional representations with the same character are isomorphic.

For SU(2), the irreducibles are $V_k={\mathrm{Sym}}^k({\mathbb{C}}^2)$, $k\ge 0$, of dimension $k+1$. One can see this classification through the usual ${\mathfrak{sl}}_2$ operators $H,E,F$: a highest-weight vector $v$ has $Hv=kv$, $Ev=0$, and the relations $[H,E]=2E$, $[H,F]=-2F$, $[E,F]=H$ give, by induction,The torus weights are integers. If $F^{r}v\ne 0$ but $F^{r+1}v=0$, the identity at $j=r+1$ forces $k=r\ge 0$. The vectors $v,Fv,\dots ,F^{k}v$ span an invariant irreducible module, which in an irreducible representation is the whole space. This is the symmetric-power module. Conversely its successive monomial weight vectors are linked by $E,F$ with nonzero coefficients, proving its irreducibility. Thus the classification of finite-dimensional representations of SU2 gives every irreducible, rather than just a list of examples.

On the maximal torus $T=\{\mathrm{diag}(z,z^{-1}):|z|=1\}$, their characters areWith $x={\chi }_1=z+z^{-1}$, multiplication gives ${\chi }_{k+1}=x{\chi }_k-{\chi }_{k-1}$, starting with ${\chi }_0=1$. Hence each ${\chi }_k$ is a monic integral polynomial of degree $k$ in $x$. For example ${\chi }_2=x^2-1$ and ${\chi }_3=x^3-2x$. They form a basis over $\mathbb{Z}$, soThe character map realizes this ring as the finite integral polynomials in $z+z^{-1}$, interpreted as continuous class functions. Its image is not the whole infinite-dimensional ring of continuous class functions; injectivity is the assertion being proved.

For $G=U(n)$ take the diagonal maximal torusThe spectral theorem for unitary matrices says that every element is conjugate to an element of $T$. A diagonal element with pairwise distinct eigenvalues has centralizer exactly $T$. Its conjugates therefore determine its eigenvalues up to permutation, and the normalizer quotient is $W=N_G(T)/T\cong S_n$. The character lattice of a torus $T$ is ${\mathbb{Z}}^n$, with $e^{\lambda }(z)=z_1^{{\lambda }_1}\cdots z_n^{{\lambda }_n}$. Conjugation on the matrix unit $E_{ij}$ has weight $e_i-e_j$, so these are the roots. Choose $e_i-e_j$ positive for $i<j$; thenDominant integral weights are precisely the integer tuples ${\lambda }_1\ge \cdots \ge {\lambda }_n$. Negative entries are allowed: they correspond to determinant twists, so polynomial representations alone do not exhaust the irreducible representations of $U(n)$.

Normalize Haar measure on $G$ and $T$ to have mass one, and putThe Weyl integration formula for U(n) for a continuous class function isFor a general continuous function, replace $f(t)$ in the torus integral by ${\int }_{G/T}f(gt{g}^{-1})d(gT)$, using the normalized invariant quotient measure.

To prove the formula, consider the conjugation map $q:G/T\times T\to G$, $q(gT,t)=gt{g}^{-1}$. On regular torus elements its fibres have exactly $n!$ points: the possible orderings of the distinct eigenvalues. Equip the group with an invariant inner product on its Lie algebra and split $\mathfrak{u}(n)=\mathfrak{t}\oplus {\mathfrak{t}}^{\perp }$. After translating the derivative back to the identity, its torus directions contribute the identity, while its transverse directions contribute ${\mathrm{Ad}}_{t^{-1}}-I$. Each pair $i<j$ supplies a real two-dimensional off-diagonal plane. On that plane ${\mathrm{Ad}}_t$ is multiplication by $z_i/z_j$, regarded as a plane rotation, so the absolute real determinant of the transverse derivative isThe change-of-variables theorem, divided by the covering multiplicity, now gives the desired weighted integral up to the constant relating the normalized invariant measures. The nonregular locus has measure zero: repeated eigenvalues are the zero-set of the nonzero discriminant, and the torus coincidence sets likewise have measure zero. Thus its omission causes no change to the integral. To determine the normalization, expand $\Delta$ as a sum of $n!$ distinct torus characters. Fourier orthogonality gives ${\int }_T|\Delta {|}^{2}dt=n!$. Applying the formula to $f=1$ fixes the coefficient to $1/n!$. This proves both the class-function and conjugacy-averaged forms.

We can now derive the character formula from integration, rather than merely quote it. Use the basic highest-weight theorem: a finite-dimensional irreducible representation has a unique highest weight $\lambda$ with a one-dimensional highest-weight space; all its other weights are $\lambda$ minus a nonnegative sum of positive roots. Its character is Weyl invariant. Also, character orthogonality for compact groups gives ${\int }_G|{\chi }_{\lambda }{|}^2=1$. This orthogonality follows by averaging the representation on $\mathrm{End}(V_{\lambda })$: the integral projects onto intertwining operators, whose dimension is one by the Schur lemma.

Let $\delta =(n-1,n-2,\dots ,0)$ and, for a strictly decreasing integer tuple $\eta$, put $A_{\eta }(z)=\det (z_i^{{\eta }_j})$. The finite Laurent polynomial $\Delta {\chi }_{\lambda }$ is alternating. Every alternating Laurent polynomial is a linear combination of the $A_{\eta }$: collect its monomials by permutation orbits, and observe that an orbit with repeated exponents has zero coefficient by antisymmetry. Different $A_{\eta }$ are orthogonal on $T$ and each has squared norm $n!$.

The coefficient of $z^{\lambda +\delta }$ in $\Delta {\chi }_{\lambda }$ is exactly one. Indeed, a contribution from the term $z^{w\delta }$ would require a weight $\lambda +\delta -w\delta$ in $V_{\lambda }$. For $w\ne 1$, the vector $\delta -w\delta$ is a nonzero nonnegative combination of the positive simple roots, so that weight lies above $\lambda$ and is impossible. The identity permutation supplies the highest-weight coefficient one. ConsequentlyApply the integration formula to $|{\chi }_{\lambda }{|}^2$. Torus orthogonality givesAll the other coefficients vanish, provingThe quotient extends across repeated eigenvalues because its product with the denominator is the already defined continuous character. Equivalently, alternant divisibility makes it a Laurent polynomial invariant under permutations; multiply by a determinant power if negative exponents must first be removed.

Finally, $\delta -\rho =\frac{n-1}{2}(1,\dots ,1)$ is fixed by the Weyl group, so its common factor cancels in the quotient. Since $A_{\rho }=e^{\rho }{\prod }_{\alpha >0}(1-e^{-\alpha })$, the determinant expression is exactlyUsing $\delta$ in the derivation avoids treating a possibly half-integral $\rho$ as an actual character of the torus. At the identity, taking the leading Vandermonde term of the two determinants gives the accompanying dimension formula

For the unitary group, the diagonal maximal torus has coordinates $z_i=e^{i{\theta }_i}$ and Weyl group $S_n$. The Weyl integration formula weights independent uniform angles by $n{!}^{-1}{\prod }_{i<j}|z_i-z_j{|}^2$. The Vandermonde determinant $\det (z_i^{n-j})$ has squared torus integral $n!$, by Fourier orthogonality. Multiplying an irreducible character of highest weight $\lambda$ by this determinant gives an alternating Laurent polynomial. Its leading alternant has coefficient one; character orthogonality for compact groups forces every other alternant coefficient to vanish. This yields the quotient $\det (z_i^{{\lambda }_j+n-j})/\det (z_i^{n-j})$.