Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2010 / iii / Paper 2 / 4 / Solution

The finite representation type of a quiver condition means there are only finitely many isomorphism classes of indecomposable finite-dimensional $kQ$-modules. Equivalently, every finite-dimensional module is a direct sum of members of a finite list of indecomposables.

For the $E_6$ case, we give the reflection argument underlying the Gabriel theorem, rather than using its conclusion as the proof. Since the underlying graph is a tree, every orientation is acyclic. At a sink $i$, writefor the sum of the incoming arrow maps. If an indecomposable $V$ is not the simple $S_i$, then $h$ is surjective: a nonzero complementary subspace to its image at the sink would be a direct summand supported only at $i$. The Bernstein–Gelfand–Ponomarev reflection functor reverses the arrows and replaces $V_i$ by $\ker h$, with reversed maps the component projections. The source reflection replaces that kernel by the cokernel of its inclusion into $⨁V_j$, recovering $V_i$. The inclusion is injective, so the reflected representation has no direct summand $S_i$ at the new source. If it decomposed, applying the inverse would decompose $V$. Thus reflection preserves indecomposability except that it annihilates $S_i$.

On a dimension vector of a quiver representation, it acts by the integral simple reflectionLet $B=2I-\mathrm{Adj}(E_6)$. These reflections preserve the positive-definite quadratic form $d^{\mathsf{T}}Bd$. Positivity can be checked without a classification theorem: label the graph by the chain $1-2-3-4-5$ and attach vertex $6$ to $3$. The leading principal minors are $2,3,4,5,6,3$, all positive.

Choose a topological ordering so arrows point from smaller to larger indices. Reflect successively at sinks $6,5,\dots ,1$. This restores the orientation after one full cycle. The transformation of dimension vectors is the Coxeter element $C=s_1{s}_2\cdots s_6$. If $U$ has diagonal entries one and entry $-1$ above the diagonal at an arrow, direct multiplication of the reflection matrices givesThus $C$ has no fixed vector. It is an integral isometry of a positive definite form, so it has finite order $h$: the image of each lattice basis vector lies in a finite set of vectors of the same norm, giving only finitely many possible isometries. Since $C^h=I$ and $I-C$ is invertible,If an indecomposable survived all $h$ reflection cycles, its dimension vectors $d,Cd,\dots ,C^{h-1}d$ would all be nonzero and componentwise nonnegative, contradicting their zero sum. Therefore it reaches a simple at one of the finitely many reflection steps and is then annihilated. Applying the inverse reflections uniquely reconstructs it from that simple. There are at most $6h$ such stopping positions, provingThis supplies the requested finite-type proof sketch.