Weight vector

A vector $v$ has weight $\mu \in {\mathfrak{t}}^{\ast }$ when $hv=\mu (h)v$ for every $h$ in the Cartan subalgebra.

A Weight is the eigenvalue functional; a weight vector is a nonzero vector carrying it.

A highest-weight vector is a nonzero weight vector annihilated by every positive-root raising operator. The module it generates is a highest-weight representation.

A weight of a representation is a functional $\mu$ whose weight space is nonzero.

The weight space $V_{\mu }$ consists of all weight vectors of weight $\mu$, together with zero.

This is the simultaneous eigenspace belonging to a Weight.

For a representation on which a commuting torus or Cartan action is semisimple, the weight decomposition is the direct sum of simultaneous weight spaces. A finite-dimensional representation of a compact torus can be made unitary by Haar measure averaging; its commuting unitary matrices are simultaneously diagonalizable. Each diagonal character is an integral weight of a representation. The decomposition makes tensor and exterior-power weights additive. For nonsemisimple actions, simultaneous generalized eigenspaces give a generalized weight decomposition instead.

For a finite-dimensional complex Lie algebra representation $\rho$ of a nilpotent Lie algebra $H$, a generalized weight space is the simultaneous generalized eigenspace displayed above, where $\lambda :H\to \mathbb{C}$ is a linear functional. Every occurring $\lambda$ vanishes on the derived algebra of $H$. Ordinary weight vectors satisfy the same equations without the powers.

Every finite-dimensional complex Lie algebra representation of a nilpotent Lie algebra decomposes into invariant generalized weight spaces. The nilpotence assumption is essential: a general solvable action can have extensions between distinct weights.

Here is a proof. For $h,k\in H$, nilpotence gives $(\mathrm{ad}h{)}^{N}k=0$, hence $(\mathrm{ad}\rho (h){)}^N\rho (k)=0$. By the nilpotent commutator preserves generalized eigenspaces lemma, every generalized eigenspace of $\rho (h)$ is invariant under every $\rho (k)$. Split successively by the acting operators of a basis of $H$. Each resulting block is invariant under $H$, and each basis operator has only one eigenvalue on it. The Lie theorem triangularizes the action on each block; its diagonal entries therefore give one and the same linear functional $\lambda$ on every basis vector of that block. Every $\rho (h)-\lambda (h)I$ is strictly upper triangular there, proving that the block is $V^{\lambda }$. Distinct blocks have distinct weights, so this is a direct sum. On the zero generalized weight space, every acting operator is a nilpotent endomorphism, so the Engel theorem supplies a nonzero common annihilated vector whenever that space is nonzero.

Let $H$ be a Cartan subalgebra of a finite-dimensional complex Lie algebra $L$. In the adjoint generalized-weight decomposition for a nilpotent Lie algebra, its zero summand satisfies $L^0=H$. Nilpotence gives $H\subseteq L^0$. If $L^0/H$ were nonzero, all adjoint operators of $H$ on this quotient would be nilpotent, so the Engel theorem would supply a nonzero coset $x+H$ with $[H,x]\subseteq H$. That contradicts self-normalization. The derivation rule ensures that $L^0$ is a subalgebra, so the quotient action is well-defined.

For a finite-dimensional representation of a complex semisimple Lie algebra, the weights on a line $\mu +\mathbb{Z}\alpha$ form a contiguous string from $\mu +p\alpha$ to $\mu -q\alpha$, with $q-p=⟨\mu ,{\alpha }^{\vee }⟩$. Restriction to the associated sl2 subalgebra gives nested strings of the same parity, so the string endpoints determine the weight set but not its multiplicities.

Start with the highest weight and process weights by increasing height below it. For each simple root, compute the upper endpoint from the already known higher weights, use the weight string endpoint relation, and append all downward steps. Repeat until the finite set stabilizes. This recovers the weights of a finite-dimensional Irreducible Lie algebra representation without determining weight multiplicities.

A weight-space decomposition expresses a Lie algebra representation as a direct sum of simultaneous eigenspaces for a Cartan subalgebra. Each summand is the weight space for its weight. In complex finite-dimensional representations of a semisimple Lie algebra, the simple coroots act as commuting diagonalizable operators, giving this decomposition.

A weight basis of a Lie algebra representation is a basis consisting of weight vectors for a chosen Cartan subalgebra. When the Cartan action is diagonalizable, choose a basis separately in every weight space and combine them. This makes weight multiplicities directly visible and gives diagonal matrices for Cartan elements.

A diagram placing the weights of a representation in the real span of its weight lattice, recording each weight multiplicity. Coincident weights must retain their multiplicity: for an Adjoint representation the zero-weight multiplicity is the dimension of its Cartan subalgebra.

Let $P_{a,b}$ be the convex hull of the Weyl group orbit of the highest weight $a{\omega }_1+b{\omega }_2$ for the SU(3) Lie algebra. Restrict the displayed formula to the weight lattice coset $p{\omega }_1+q{\omega }_2+$ root lattice. It describes successive inward shells: the outer boundary has weight multiplicity one, each inward shell increases it by one, and the final triangular region has the constant value $\min (p,q)+1$. When $p=q$ that region is a single point. A triangular diagram with $p=0$ or $q=0$ has multiplicity one throughout. This is a geometric form of the dominant weight multiplicity formula for sl3, transported by Weyl reflections.

// Target: lie-theory.bigb

Using $I_3=\mathrm{diag}(1/2,-1/2,0)$ and flavour $Y=\mathrm{diag}(1/3,1/3,-2/3)$, the three coordinate vectors of the SU(3) group defining group representation have the displayed weights of a representation. The complex-conjugate group representation has their negatives. These coordinates use flavor hypercharge; another Cartan normalization rescales the vertical axis.

For a tensor product of Lie algebra representations with weight-space decompositions, the weights add and their weight multiplicities convolve. A diagram must sum contributions landing at the same weight, rather than treating coincident points as distinct positions.

For a finite-dimensional irreducible highest-weight representation with highest weight $\lambda$, every weight in the Weyl group orbit $W\lambda$ is extremal and has weight multiplicity one.

The multiplicity of a weight $\mu$ is the dimension of its weight space.

Thus it is a dimension attached to a Weight and its weight space.

Multiply the Weyl character formula by the generating series of the Kostant partition function. In each numerator summand, the coefficient of $e^{\mu }$ occurs when $\nu =w(\lambda +\rho )-(\mu +\rho )$. Summing those coefficients with the Weyl group signs proves the displayed weight multiplicity formula. Although $\rho$ need not itself be an integral group weight, $w\rho -\rho$ is in the root lattice, so each partition-function argument is an integral weight.

For linear maps $E:U\to W$ and $F:W\to U$ between finite-dimensional vector spaces, ${\mathrm{tr}}_U(FE)={\mathrm{tr}}_W(EF)$ even when their dimensions differ; expanding rectangular matrices proves it. For root vectors normalized by $[E_{\alpha },F_{\alpha }]=t_{\alpha }$, with $B(t_{\alpha },h)=\alpha (h)$, this gives $T_{\alpha }(\mu )=T_{\alpha }(\mu +\alpha )+(\mu +\alpha ,\alpha )\dim V_{\mu +\alpha }$. Iteration along a finite weight string is the trace step in Freudenthal multiplicity formula.

For a finite-dimensional Irreducible Lie algebra representation of a complex semisimple Lie algebra with highest weight $\lambda$, this recursion computes its weight multiplicities from $m_{\lambda }(\lambda )=1$. Here $\rho$ is the half-sum of positive roots and the inner product is induced by the Killing form. Write the Casimir operator on the weight-$\mu$ space as $(\mu ,\mu +2\rho )I+2{\sum }_{\alpha >0}{F}_{\alpha }{E}_{\alpha }$. The cyclic trace identity between adjacent weight spaces gives $\mathrm{tr}(F_{\alpha }{E}_{\alpha }{|}_{V_{\mu }})={\sum }_{j\ge 1}(\mu +j\alpha ,\alpha )m_{\lambda }(\mu +j\alpha )$. Taking the trace and using the Casimir eigenvalue proves the formula. Only finitely many terms are nonzero.

A singular vector is a nonzero weight vector annihilated by the positive nilpotent subalgebra ${\mathfrak{n}}^{+}$.