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1:34 p.m. April 11, 2013 Red.tex The structure of reductive groups Bill Casselman University of British Columbia, Vancouver [email protected] An algebraic group defined over F is an algebraic variety G with group operations specified in algebraic terms. For example, the group GLn is the subvariety of (n + 1) × (n + 1) matrices A 0 0 a with determinant det(A) a = 1. The matrix entries are well behaved functions on the group, here for 1 example a = det− (A). The formulas for matrix multiplication are certainly algebraic, and the inverse of a matrix A is its transpose adjoint times the inverse of its determinant, which are both algebraic. Formally, this means that we are given (a) an F •rational multiplication map G × G −→ G; (b) an F •rational inverse map G −→ G; (c) an identity element—i.e. an F •rational point of G. I’ll look only at affine algebraic groups (as opposed, say, to elliptic curves, which are projective varieties). In this case, the variety G is completely characterized by its affine ring AF [G], and the data above are respectively equivalent to the specification of (a’) an F •homomorphism AF [G] −→ AF [G] ⊗F AF [G]; (b’) an F •involution AF [G] −→ AF [G]; (c’) a distinguished homomorphism AF [G] −→ F . The first map expresses a coordinate in the product in terms of the coordinates of its terms. For example, in the case of GLn it takes xik −→ xij ⊗ xjk . j In addition, these data are subject to the group axioms. I’ll not say anything about the general theory of such groups, but I should say that in practice the specification of an algebraic group is often indirect—as a subgroup or quotient, say, of another simpler one. Contents 1. Algebraic tori 2. Split reductive groups 3. Automorphisms 4. The Bruhat decomposition 5. From root datum to group 6. Quasi•split reductive groups 7. Reductive groups over finite fields 8. Unramified groups over a p•adic field 9. References The standard references are [Steinberg:1968], [Humphreys:1975], [Borel:1991], and [Springer:1998]. The structure of reductive groups (1:34 p.m. April 11, 2013) 2 1. Algebraic tori The standard reference for the material in this section is §8 of [Borel:1991]. The multiplicative group over a field F is that of non•zero elements of F . It is isomorphic to the group 2 of points in F satisfying the equation xy = 1, and is hence an algebraic group Gm. Its affine ring is n the quotient F [x, y]/(xy − 1), which may be expressed as F [x, 1/x]. Similarly, the product (Gm) of n G ±1 ±1 copies of m has affine ring F [x1 ,...,xn ]. An algebraic torus defined over a field F is by definition an algebraic group defined over F that is n isomorphic to a product (Gm) after base extension to an algebraic closure of F . For example, the equation x2 + y2 =1 defines an algebraic group over R, and since x2 + y2 = (x + iy)(x − iy) a change of coordinates identifies the group over C with Gm. n SPLIT TORI. A torus defined over F that is isomorphic to some (Gm) over the field F itself is called an F •split torus. A character of a split torus T is an algebraic homomorphism from it to Gm, which means a ring ±1 ±1 ∗ homomorphism from F [x ] to F [xi ] compatible with group operations. Define X (T ) be the group of all characters of the split torus T . n n Suppose we have chosen an identification f of T with (Gm) . To k = (ki) in Z corresponds the character k ki ki x = (xi ) −→ xi . ∗ n ∗ This gives us a group homomorphism f from Z to X (T ). On the other hand, let X∗(T ) be the group n of algebraic homomorphisms from Gm to T —the covharacters of T . To each ℓ = (ℓi) in Z corresponds G ℓi Zn the map from m to T taking x to (xi ), and this gives us a map f∗ from to X∗(T ). ∗ [xstarT] 1.1. Proposition. The maps f∗ and f defined just above are isomorphisms. k Proof. Since the characters of Gm itself are all of the form x → x and (x1,...,xn) = (x1, 1,..., 1) · · · (1,..., 1, xn) , ∗ ki ki the map f is surjective. If xi = 1 for all (xi) then each x =1 for all x, hence every ki =0. Thus ∗ f is injective. The argument for X∗ is similar. [star-lin-ind] 1.2. Proposition. The characters of T form a linear basis of AF [T ]. × Proof. After choosing coordinates, embed X∗(T ) in Hom(T (F ), F ) and apply the following well known result: [lin-ind-chars] 1.3. Lemma. If G is a group and E a field, any set of distinct homomorphisms χ: G −→ E× are linearly independent over E. I postpone the proof to the end of this section. ∗ The two free Z•modules X (T ) and X∗(T ) are canonically dual to each other, which means that ∗ X (T ) = HomZ X∗(T ), Z . The structure of reductive groups (1:34 p.m. April 11, 2013) 3 ∨ ∗ ∨ Why is this? Given λ in X∗(T ) and µ in X (T ), the composite µ ◦ λ is a character og Gm, hence of the form x → xn for some unique n, which is defined a µ, λ∨. In short ∨ µ ◦ λ∨: x −→ xµ,λ . A split torus T is completely and simply characterized by X∗(T ). For one thing, we may describe the F • rational points of the torus as Hom(X∗(T ), F ×). For another, if we are given an algebraic homomorphism of tori ϕ: S → T , there exists a corresponding map ϕ∗: X∗(T ) → X∗(S). This is functorial. Conversely, ∗ ∗ ∗ since AF (T ) is the group algebra of X (T ), a homomorphism X (T ) → X (S) gives rise to an algebraic homomorphism. Thus the category of split algebraic tori is contravariantly equivalent to that of free Z•modules of finite rank. In particular the group of automorphisms of T may be canonically identified with GL X∗(T ) , which may in turn be non•canonically identified with GLn(Z). In other words, automorphisms of a split torus are of the form (x ) −→ xai,j i j j where ai,j is an integral matrix of determinant ±1. In particular all automorphisms are invariant under automorphisms of the field of definition, since the equations of the automorphism do not involve the field. The following is essentially a characterization of tori among Zariski•connected algebraic groups. [tori-reductive] 1.4. Proposition. Every F •rational algebraic representation of a split torus is a direct sum of characters. Proof. A representation of T is an algebraic homomorphism from T to GLn(F ). Because it is algebraic ±1 and the affine ring of T is isomorphic to F [xi ], we may write π(t)= cχ χ(t) , χ where each χ is a character of T and each cχ is an n × n matrix. Since π(1) = I we see that I = cχ , while since χ(st)= χ(s)χ(t) and the χ are linearly independent we see that cχ if χ = ρ cχcρ = 0 otherwise. n This implies that F is the direct sum of the images of the idempotent operators cχ, on which T acts as χ. CLASSIFICATION. How do we classify algebraic tori over an arbitrary field? We know that every torus becomes split over an algebraically closed extension of the base field. But one can do better: [split-separable-closure] 1.5. Theorem. Every torus defined over F splits over some finite Galois extension. I’ll give the proof at the end of this section. Say T splits over the a Galois extension E/F , with Galois group G. The endomorphism ring of a split torus of dimension n is isomorphic to Mn(Z) independently of the field of definition, and all automorphisms are Galois•invariant. The theory of Galois descent (see [Serre:1959]) therefore asserts that isomorphism classes of tori defined over F that split over E are in bijection with conjugacy classes of homomorphisms from G to GL X∗(T ) , each of which then gives rise in turn to an automorphism of The structure of reductive groups (1:34 p.m. April 11, 2013) 4 the E•rational points on the torus. If that associated to σ is ϕσ, then the group of F •rational points on σ the new torus is to be identified with the points x of T such that ϕσ(x)= x for all σ. Example. The real group x2 + y2 =1 becomes isomorphic to Gm upon base field extension to C. Its character group may be identified with Z, with conjugation acting as z → z−1, since (x + iy)−1 = x − iy. Example. Suppose E/F to be a separable quadratic extension. The multiplicative group E× may be identified with the group of F •rational points on a two•dimensional torus over F . This may be seen in two ways. • The group Gm over E is the group of (w,z) with wz =1. Let 1, α be an F •basis of E/F , with α2 − Bα + C =0 . The equations for Gm oevr E can be written as 1 = (u + vα)(x + yα) = ux + vyα2 + (uy + vx)α = ux + vy(Bα − C) + (uy + vx)α = (ux − Cvy) + (Bvy + uy + vx)α , which amount to the pair of equations ux − Cvy =1 Bvy + uy + vx =0 defining a two•dimensional group over F .