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For a complex semisimple Lie algebra and an integer $k\ge 0$, the Weyl character formula and Weyl denominator formula giveApply the dilation $e^{\mu }\mapsto e^{(k+1)\mu }$ to the denominator identity to obtain the numerator. Cancellation leaves a finite geometric series for each positive root of a root system. Evaluating the resulting polynomial at all formal exponentials equal to one gives the dimension, without taking an undefined quotient at the identity.

For a complex finite-dimensional simple Lie algebra, a Cartan subalgebra $\mathfrak{h}$ is a maximal commuting subalgebra of elements whose adjoint maps are semisimple. Equivalently in this setting it is a nilpotent self-normalizing subalgebra. Its dimension is the rank of a semisimple Lie algebra. Simultaneous diagonalization of its Adjoint representation gives the root-space decompositionA root of a root system is a nonzero linear functional $\alpha$ for which this root space is nonzero. For a complex semisimple algebra each root space is one-dimensional. A Cartan-Weyl basis consists of a basis $H_i$ of $\mathfrak{h}$ and one nonzero root vector $E_{\alpha }$ for every root.

The general Lie brackets have the formFor the opposite-root bracket, use the Killing form to define $h_{\alpha }$ by $\kappa (h_{\alpha },H)=\alpha (H)$. Its invariant bilinear form on a Lie algebra property givesOne may normalize the root vectors so that the pairing is one. If instead one uses a coroot as the opposite-root bracket, the root-vector normalization changes accordingly. In particular, root evaluation coordinates cannot simply be used as coefficients in a nonorthonormal Cartan basis.

For the matrix calculation take $N\ge 2$. The complexification of a Lie algebra of the special unitary group Lie algebra is the special linear Lie algebra ${\mathfrak{sl}}_N(\mathbb{C})$: traceless complex matrices. Its Cartan subalgebra consists of traceless diagonal matrices. Write $E_{jk}={\mathcal{T}}^{(j,k)}$ for the matrix units. The given Cartan basis is $H_i=E_{ii}-E_{i+1,i+1}$, $1\le i<N$, and the other basis elements are $E_{jk}$ with $j\ne k$.

The matrix-unit identity $E_{jk}{E}_{lm}={\delta }_{kl}{E}_{jm}$ givesThus all the roots, expressed as evaluation vectors in this precise Cartan basis, areThey are the functionals $e_j-e_k$ on traceless diagonal matrices; there are $N(N-1)$ of them. The corresponding root vector is $E_{jk}$. Together with $N-1$ Cartan generators, they give $N^2-1$ basis elements. The simple roots can be chosen as ${\alpha }_{i,i+1}$, whose evaluation vectors are the rows of the type-$A_{N-1}$ Cartan matrix, with $2$ on the diagonal and $-1$ on adjacent entries. These vectors are evaluations on $H_i$, not coordinates in an orthonormal realization of the root system.

To express every bracket strictly in the chosen basis, introduce the abbreviationThen all pairs are covered byHere both input root vectors have distinct row and column indices. The first case is the only one producing diagonal matrix units, and the displayed sum of $H_p$ resolves them completely into the chosen Cartan basis. Reversing the order gives the negative bracket. This also shows explicitly that the two nonzero non-Cartan cases have structure constants $+1$ and $-1$, and verifies the required root-addition rule.