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The $A_2$ root system has equal-length simple roots ${\alpha }_1,{\alpha }_2$ with angle $2\pi /3$, and roots $\pm {\alpha }_1$, $\pm {\alpha }_2$, $\pm ({\alpha }_1+{\alpha }_2)$. Its Cartan matrix is $\left(\begin{array}{cc}2& -1\\ -1& 2\end{array}\right)$. The corresponding complex simple Lie algebra is ${\mathfrak{sl}}_3(\mathbb{C})$, of dimension eight.

For $n\ge 1$, the finite Dynkin diagram $A_n$ is a chain of $n$ vertices joined by single bonds. It represents the root system of ${\mathfrak{sl}}_{n+1}$.

An automorphism of a root system $\Phi \subset E$ is an orthogonal transformation of $E$ mapping $\Phi$ onto itself. The Weyl group is a subgroup of this automorphism group; additional automorphisms can act nontrivially on a Dynkin diagram while preserving a root basis.

A finite root system in a real inner product space is crystallographic when every Cartan integer $2(\beta ,\alpha )/(\alpha ,\alpha )$ is an integer. The roots of a complex semisimple Lie algebra satisfy this because each number is a weight of its sl2 subalgebra associated with a root. Reducedness is a separate axiom; the root-space reducedness lemma establishes it for these Lie-algebra roots.

The real span of the simple coroots inside a complex Cartan subalgebra carries a positive-definite restriction of the Killing form. Equivalently it consists of the $h$ for which all roots have real values. The formula $\kappa (h,h)={\sum }_{\alpha \in \Phi }\alpha (h{)}^2$ is positive for $h\ne 0$, since the roots span the dual. The induced dual inner product makes the root system Euclidean and makes root reflections orthogonal.

For a real inner product space $V$, the displayed map identifies ${\Lambda }^{2}V$ with its Special orthogonal Lie algebra. It sends a wedge of distinct orthonormal basis vectors to the corresponding elementary skew-symmetric matrix, so it is an isomorphism. For an orthogonal transformation $g$, invariance of the inner product gives $\Phi (gu\wedge gv)=g\Phi (u\wedge v)g^{-1}$. Thus the exterior square of the defining representation is the Adjoint representation of the orthogonal group. Complexification identifies their weight spaces, allowing the root system to be read from the exterior-square weights and the zero-weight multiplicity.

A root system spanning a real inner product space is irreducible when it cannot be partitioned into two nonempty mutually orthogonal root systems. Its Dynkin diagram is connected. This condition concerns the roots themselves, rather than an arbitrary ambient space larger than their span.

In an irreducible root system with two root lengths, a long root has the larger length with respect to a Weyl group invariant inner product.

The roots of maximal length in a root system form a root subsystem. A chamber for the original system lies in a unique chamber for this long-root subsystem, because its interior avoids every long-root reflecting hyperplane.

For a root system with $N$ positive roots, put $A_{\nu }(H)={\sum }_{w\in W}\det (w)e^{(w\nu ,H)}$. Its degree-$m$ Taylor coefficient is alternating separately in $\nu$ and $H$, and hence divisible in each set of variables by the product of positive-root linear forms. Thus it vanishes for $m<N$ and its degree-$N$ term is $C{\prod }_{\alpha >0}(\nu ,\alpha ){\prod }_{\alpha >0}(H,\alpha )$. The Weyl denominator formula at $\nu =\rho$ determines the nonzero constant $C$. Taking the ratio $A_{\lambda +\rho }(tH)/A_{\rho }(tH)$ for regular $H$ and letting $t\to 0$ gives the Weyl dimension formula $\dim L(\lambda )={\prod }_{\alpha >0}(\lambda +\rho ,\alpha )/(\rho ,\alpha )$. Factors converting roots to coroots cancel.

By dominant root-lattice highest weights have zero weight, a minuscule weight in the root lattice has zero in its Weyl group orbit. Since every element of the Weyl group is invertible, the highest weight must itself be zero. Thus equality of the weight lattice and root lattice rules out every nontrivial minuscule representation without requiring a classification of root systems.

After choosing positive roots in a root system, a negative root is the negative of a positive root. Equivalently, for a regular linear functional defining the positive roots, its value on a negative root is negative. Relative to the associated simple roots, the coefficients of a negative root are all nonpositive integers.

Work over $\mathbb{C}$ with a finite-dimensional semisimple Lie algebra $\mathfrak{g}$. Choose a Cartan subalgebra $\mathfrak{h}$, its root system $R\subset {\mathfrak{h}}^{\ast }$, a positive system $R^{+}$ and its simple roots. Let $W$ be the Weyl group, generated by the corresponding root reflections, and put $\rho =\frac{1}{2}{\sum }_{\alpha \in R^{+}}\alpha$, the Weyl vector. The finite-dimensional irreducible highest-weight representation $L(\lambda )$ is indexed by a dominant integral weight $\lambda$.

If $P$ is the weight lattice, its group ring has formal symbols $e^{\mu }$ with multiplication $e^{\mu }{e}^{\nu }=e^{\mu +\nu }$. The formal character iswhere $L(\lambda {)}_{\mu }=\{v:Hv=\mu (H)v\text{ for all }H\in \mathfrak{h}\}$ is a weight space. For a weight $\nu$, define the Weyl alternant $A_{\nu }={\sum }_{w\in W}\det (w)e^{w\nu }$; the sign $\det (w)=(-1{)}^{\ell (w)}$ is the determinant of $w$ on the real root span, equivalently the parity of its expression in simple reflections.

The Weyl character formula isThe second denominator is the Weyl denominator formula. The quotient can initially be taken in the fraction field of the group ring; the formula says it is the finite character on the left, so its apparent singularities are removable. The shifts by $\rho$ make $\lambda +\rho$ strictly dominant.

The displayed torus-only Weyl integration formula needs $\phi$ to be a class function, meaning $\phi (xg{x}^{-1})=\phi (g)$. This hypothesis is implicit in the usual formula but is not printed here. We prove the general version for a continuous function, then specialize:Here $dg$ and $dt$ are probability Haar measures; $d\mu$ is the invariant probability measure on the homogeneous space $G/T$; and $W=N_G(T)/T$ is the finite Weyl group.

We use the following standard maximal-torus facts, as permitted: every element of a connected compact Lie group lies in some maximal torus; all maximal tori are conjugate; two elements of a fixed $T$ are conjugate in $G$ exactly when they are in the same $W$-orbit; and the complexified Lie algebra decomposes into ${\mathfrak{t}}_{\mathbb{C}}$ and one-dimensional root spaces. Opposite roots of a root system give real two-dimensional planes in ${\mathfrak{t}}^{\perp }$. At an element $t$ for which no root character has value one, the identity component of its centralizer is $T$.

Choose a positive root system ${\Phi }^{+}$. Regard each root $\alpha$ as a character $\alpha :T\to U(1)$ through the Adjoint representation. A convenient globally defined denominator isThe usual Weyl denominator additionally has a unit-modulus factor $e^{\rho }(t)$, with $\rho$ half the sum of positive roots. Where that half-weight is not a global torus character, it may be interpreted on a covering torus; the squared modulus is nevertheless unambiguous. In either convention,

Average an inner product on $\mathfrak{g}$ over the Adjoint representation to make it invariant. It defines a bi-invariant Riemannian metric on $G$ and the quotient metric on $G/T$. Consider the conjugation mapAt $(T,t)$, identify the source tangent directions with $X\in {\mathfrak{t}}^{\perp }$ and $Y\in \mathfrak{t}$, and translate the target tangent vector to the identity by $t^{-1}$. Differentiating givesThe two summands are orthogonal. On a real root plane, $\mathrm{Ad}(t^{-1})$ is a rotation with complex eigenvalues $\alpha (t{)}^{-1},\alpha (t)$. Thus the absolute real Jacobian determinant on this plane is $|1-\alpha (t){|}^2$. The torus direction contributes one. Therefore the conjugation Jacobian for a compact Lie group isThis is also the Jacobian for the normalized measures: the Riemannian submersion has fibers isometric to $T$, so $\mathrm{vol}(G)=\mathrm{vol}(G/T)\mathrm{vol}(T)$; the probability-volume normalization factors cancel.

Let $T_{\mathrm{reg}}$ be the elements for which $J_q\ne 0$. The restriction of $q$ is a local diffeomorphism onto the regular elements of $G$. It is $|W|$-to-one. Indeed, fixing $t_0\in T_{\mathrm{reg}}$, any pair with $xt{x}^{-1}=t_0$ has $xT{x}^{-1}=T$, because conjugation identifies the identity components of the two centralizers. Thus $x\in N_G(T)$, and there is exactly one pair $(xT,x^{-1}{t}_{0}x)$ for each coset in $N_G(T)/T$. This argument does not require the full centralizer of $t_0$ to be connected.

The nonregular locus has measure zero. In $T$ it is a finite union of sets $\alpha (t)=1$ of smaller dimension; their conjugation images are images of smaller-dimensional manifolds under $q$, and hence have zero volume in $G$. The change-of-variables formula for the regular covering therefore givesFor a class function, the inner integral is $\phi (t)$, proving the required formula with its correct hypothesis.

Without conjugation invariance, the torus-only expression can be false. For $G=SU(2)$ with diagonal $T$, take $\phi (g)=|g_{12}{|}^2$. It vanishes on $T$, whereas its group integral is $1/2$: the two squared coordinates of a Haar-distributed unit column have equal means and sum to one. Thus the conjugacy average cannot simply be dropped.

For a real inner product space $V={\mathbb{R}}^5$, defineThis map takes values in the Special orthogonal Lie algebra: its matrices are skew-symmetric. It sends $e_i\wedge e_j$ to $E_{ij}-E_{ji}$, so it is an isomorphism between the two ten-dimensional spaces. For $g\in SO(5)$, invariance of the inner product givesThis proves the exterior square realization of the orthogonal adjoint representation, including equivariance, rather than merely matching dimensions.

After complexification, part (a) is therefore the weight decomposition of the Adjoint representation. Its zero weight space is the complex centralizer of $\mathfrak{t}$. The two zero-weight wedges are nonzero multiples of $e_1\wedge e_2$ and $e_3\wedge e_4$, which map under $\Phi$ to the two infinitesimal rotation generators of $T$. HenceIf a larger torus contained $T$, its Lie algebra would commute with $\mathfrak{t}$ and therefore lie in $\mathfrak{t}$. Equality of Lie algebras and connectedness of both tori force equality of the groups. Thus $T$ is a maximal torus.

Let ${\epsilon }_j$ denote the real coordinate functional $x_j$. In the real weight convention, with the common factor $i$ removed from the differentiated torus weights, the root system isThese are the roots of a root system of type B2 root system. In the imaginary-valued compact Lie-algebra convention each displayed functional is multiplied by $i$. Every root space is one-dimensional, as part (a) explicitly shows.

For a Cartan-Weyl basis, the Jacobi identity givesThus the bracket has joint Cartan weight $\alpha +\beta$. If $\beta =-\alpha$, it belongs to the zero-weight space, which is the Cartan subalgebra, and so is a linear combination ${\tilde{\alpha }}_i{H}_i$. If $\alpha +\beta$ is a nonzero root, its root space is one-dimensional and the bracket is proportional to $E_{\alpha +\beta }$. If that nonzero sum is not a root, the bracket vanishes. This proves the asserted forms without assuming every pair of roots has a root sum.

With the stated normalization, put $H_{\alpha }=2{\alpha }_i{H}_i/{\alpha }^2$. The commutators becomeThe adjoint relations make $J_3=H_{\alpha }/2$, $J_{+}=E_{\alpha }$, $J_{-}=E_{-\alpha }$ the usual SU(2) Lie algebra generators. Hence every finite-dimensional SU(2) irreducible component has $J_3$ eigenvalues $m=-j,-j+1,\dots ,j$, with $2j$ an integer. Therefore $H_{\alpha }$ has integer eigenvalues $2m$, including in the finite-dimensional Adjoint representation. Algebraically this is the sl2 subalgebra associated with a root.

If $[H_{\alpha },X_{\lambda }]=\lambda X_{\lambda }$, another use of the Jacobi identity givesThe bracket is therefore zero or lies in the eigenvalue-$\lambda +2$ space. Within one irreducible SU(2) ladder it is proportional to the next chosen vector $X_{\lambda +2}$. If the full eigenspace has multiplicity, the weight statement is the general one; proportionality to one named vector presupposes the ladder choice. Similarly $E_{-\alpha }$ lowers this eigenvalue by two, and the ladder weights run from $-n$ to $n$ in steps of two.

For a root vector $E_{\beta }$, its $H_{\alpha }$ weight isThe adjoint SU(2) ladder therefore provesFor nonparallel $\alpha ,\beta$, raising and lowering $E_{\beta }$ move its joint Cartan weight through the root string $\beta +k\alpha$. The finite irreducible ladder has weights symmetric about zero. Starting at $m_{\alpha \beta }$, reaching its partner $-m_{\alpha \beta }$ requires $k=-m_{\alpha \beta }$. The corresponding nonzero vector lies in the root space of $\beta -m_{\alpha \beta }\alpha$, proving the Weyl reflection property:There is no zero joint root in this string when $\alpha ,\beta$ are nonparallel. Its one-dimensional root spaces prevent two irreducible ladders with the same weight parity from overlapping, so the ladder argument applies to the entire string. For $\beta =\pm \alpha$, reflection simply interchanges the two opposite roots, which already exist by the adjoint relation.

For angle and length restrictions, set $p=2\alpha \cdot \beta /{\alpha }^2$ and $q=2\alpha \cdot \beta /{\beta }^2$. These Cartan integers have the same sign when nonzero and obeyFor nonparallel, nonorthogonal roots, $pq$ is an integer strictly between zero and four. The possibilities are consequently:

Orthogonal roots have $p=q=0$ and $\theta =\pi /2$. Parallel roots have $pq=4$; the integer pairs would allow only length multiples $1,2,1/2$. The stated reducedness condition excludes the latter two, so parallel roots are equal or opposite, with angles zero or $\pi$ and equal lengths. ThusNot every root system realizes every listed angle.

The orthogonal pair alone gives no ratio through $q/p$. To finish the length restriction for a simple Lie algebra, use irreducibility of its root system. Let $U$ span the Weyl group orbit of $\alpha$. Both $U$ and $U^{\perp }$ are invariant under the orthogonal root reflections. If a root had nonzero projections in both, reflection of its projection in $U$ would have a nonzero $U^{\perp }$ component, violating invariance. Hence every root is entirely in one of these subspaces. A proper nonzero $U$ would split the root system into two orthogonal parts, contradicting irreducibility. This proves that the Weyl orbit spans an irreducible root space.

In particular, some orbit root $\gamma$ is nonorthogonal to any chosen $\beta$, and ${\gamma }^2={\alpha }^2$. Applying the previous integer-pair restriction to $\gamma ,\beta$ therefore also handles orthogonal $\alpha ,\beta$:There can be at most two different root lengths: three lengths would have ratios two and three relative to the shortest, but then the longest-to-middle squared-length ratio would be $3/2$, which is forbidden. A reducible collection of orthogonal rank-one factors could have independently chosen scales; the simple-algebra assumption excludes that exception.

Choose a generic linear functional to define positive roots. The simple roots are those positive roots which cannot be written as sums of two positive roots; they form a basis in which all root coefficients are integers of one sign. Distinct simple roots have nonpositive inner product: if their inner product were positive, their root string would contain their difference, and whichever difference is positive would decompose one of them. In rank two, irreducibility excludes the orthogonal case. The allowed simple-root angles are therefore $120^{\circ },135^{\circ },150^{\circ }$, giving the three irreducible diagrams in the classification of rank-two root systems: A2 root system, B2 root system and G2 root system. Reflections in the two simple roots generate their respective six, eight and twelve roots.

Here are explicit simple-root choices and positive roots; adding their negatives gives each complete diagram.

The nonnegative coefficients in each positive-root list verify the chosen simple roots explicitly. The orthogonal four-root system $A_1\times A_1$ is rank two but reducible, so it is not a diagram for the simple algebra assumed here.

Define the Cartan matrix in the column-coroot convention:Using the ordered roots above givesThe alternative row-coroot convention transposes these matrices. Stating the convention and root ordering avoids a spurious disagreement in the unequal-length cases.