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Under the Principal sl2 subalgebra, a root space of root $\beta$ has $h$-eigenvalue $\beta (2{\rho }^{\vee })=2\mathrm{ht}(\beta )$, where the height is the sum of its simple-root coefficients. The six positive roots of a root system of the G2 root system have heightsEach positive and negative root space has dimension one. The two-dimensional Cartan subalgebra contributes two copies of the zero weight. Therefore the Principal q-character of the G2 adjoint representation isEquivalently,The classification of finite-dimensional sl2 representations therefore gives the actual restricted-module decomposition $\mathfrak{g}\cong L_{10}\oplus L_2$, of dimensions $11+3=14$. In the convention using $q^{h/2}$, the same result is $q^5+q^4+q^3+q^2+2q+2+2q^{-1}+q^{-2}+q^{-3}+q^{-4}+q^{-5}$. Both forms encode the same two weight strings.

Choose a Cartan subalgebra, simple roots ${\alpha }_1,\dots ,{\alpha }_r$, and root vectors $e_i,f_i$ normalized by $[e_i,f_i]=h_i={\alpha }_i^{\vee }$. LetHere the coroots lie in the Cartan subalgebra, and ${\alpha }_i({\rho }^{\vee })=1$. This last identity is the Weyl vector identity applied to the dual root system. For distinct simple roots, ${\alpha }_i-{\alpha }_j$ is not a root, hence $[e_i,f_j]=0$. ConsequentlyThese are exactly the sl2 Lie algebra relations. For nonzero $\mathfrak{g}$ the resulting homomorphism from ${\mathfrak{sl}}_2$ is nonzero and therefore injective, since ${\mathfrak{sl}}_2$ is simple. Its image is a Principal sl2 subalgebra. Equivalently its raising element is a principal nilpotent element, a nilpotent element with Lie algebra centralizer of dimension equal to the rank. The construction works for a semisimple Lie algebra with several simple factors by taking the triple in every factor, giving one diagonally embedded ${\mathfrak{sl}}_2$. This is the construction of a principal sl2 triple.

For a representation $V$, restrict to this subalgebra and take its formal character. If $V_{\mu }$ is the weight space for the original Cartan subalgebra, the resulting q-character of a highest-weight representation, or the analogous q-character for any finite-dimensional representation, isIt is independent of conjugating the chosen principal triple. In particular a root $\beta ={\sum }_i{k}_i{\alpha }_i$ has grading $\beta (h)=2{\sum }_i{k}_i$. Some conventions use $q^{h/2}$ instead; that convention divides all exponents here by two. The normalization above agrees with the ordinary sl2 Lie algebra character in the preceding part.

Put $h_0=\psi (h)$ and $e_0=\psi (e)={\sum }_{i=1}^{\ell }{e}_i$, where $0\ne e_i\in {\mathfrak{g}}_{{\alpha }_i}$. Since $[h_0,e_0]=2e_0$ and the root spaces are a direct sum, ${\alpha }_i(h_0)=2$ for every simple root. Every root has simple-root coefficients of one sign, so no root vanishes on $h_0$. The Regular element criterion in a Cartan subalgebra therefore shows that $h_0$ is regular.

Restrict the Adjoint representation of $\mathfrak{g}$ along $\psi$. By complete reducibility of semisimple Lie algebra representations, it is a direct sum of finite-dimensional sl2 Lie algebra modules. The $h_0$-eigenvalues on a root space are twice the heights of the roots, so they are all even. Each irreducible summand consequently has even highest weight, contains exactly one zero-weight vector, and has a one-dimensional kernel for the raising operator $e_0$ by the classification of finite-dimensional sl2 representations.

Because $h_0$ is regular, its zero-weight space in $\mathfrak{g}$ is precisely $\mathfrak{t}$ and has dimension $\ell$. There are therefore exactly $\ell$ irreducible summands, whenceThus $e_0$ is regular; equivalently it is a principal nilpotent element in the given Principal sl2 subalgebra.

Let $R^{+}$ be the positive roots, $W$ the Weyl group, $\ell (w)$ its Coxeter length, $\rho$ the half-sum of positive roots, and ${\alpha }^{\vee }$ a coroot. For a dominant integral highest weight $\lambda$, the Weyl character formula isTaking the value at the identity gives the Weyl dimension formula

For the q-character convention relevant to the Principal sl2 subalgebra, set $h_{\mathrm{pr}}=2{\rho }^{\vee }$, so ${\alpha }_i(h_{\mathrm{pr}})=2$ for every simple root, and defineThe q-character formula is the principal specialization of the Weyl character formula:

A principal nilpotent element of a semisimple Lie algebra is a nilpotent element whose centralizer has dimension equal to the rank. For nonzero simple-root vectors $e_i$, the sum $e={\sum }_i{e}_i$ is principal nilpotent and forms the raising element of a Principal sl2 subalgebra.

Use ${\mathrm{ch}}_{q}V={\mathrm{tr}}_V{q}^{2{\rho }^{\vee }}$. The positive roots of a root system of the G2 root system have simple-root heights $1,1,2,3,4,5$. Each root space has dimension one, and the zero weight space has dimension two. ConsequentlyBy the classification of finite-dimensional sl2 representations, restriction to the Principal sl2 subalgebra is $L_{10}\oplus L_2$, of dimensions eleven and three. If the grading uses ${\rho }^{\vee }$ instead, divide every exponent by two.