- Representation ring
In
mathematics , especially in the area of algebra known asrepresentation theory , the representation ring of a group is a ring formed from all the (isomorphism classes of the) linear representations of the group. For a given group, the ring will depend on the base field of the representations. The case of complex coefficients is the most developed, but the case ofalgebraically closed field s of characteristic "p" where the Sylow "p"-subgroups are cyclic is also theoretically approachable.Formal definition
Given a group "G" and a field "F", the elements of its representation ring "R""F"("G") are the formal differences of isomorphism classes of finite dimensional linear "F"-representations of "G". For the ring structure, addition is given by the Cartesian product of representations, and multiplication by their
tensor product over "F".Examples
*For the complex representations of the
cyclic group of order "n", the representation ring "R""C"("C""n") is isomorphic to Z ["X"] /("X""n" − 1), where "X" corresponds to the complex representation sending a generator of the group to a primitive "n"th root of unity.
*For the rational representations of the cyclic group of order 3, the representation ring "R""Q"(C3) is isomorphic to "Z" ["X"] /("X"2 − "X" − 2), where "X" corresponds to the irreducible rational representation of dimension 2.
*For the the modular representations of the cyclic group of order 3 over a field "F" of characteristic 3, the representation ring "R""F"("C"3) is isomorphic to "Z" ["X","Y"] /("X"2 − "Y" − 1, "XY" − 2"Y","Y"2 − 3"Y").*The ring "R"(S1) for the circle group is isomorphic to "Z" ["X", "X" −1] . The ring of real representations is the subring of "R"("G") of elements fixed by the involution on "R"("G") given by "X" → "X" −1.
*The ring "R""C"("S"3) for the
symmetric group on three points is isomorphic to Z ["X","Y"] /("XY" − "Y"), where "X" is the 1-dimensional alternating representation and "Y" the 2-dimensional irreducible representation of "S"3.Characters
Any representation defines a character χ:"G" → C. Such a function is constant on conjugacy classes of "G", a so-called
class function ; denote the ring of class functions by "C(G)". The homomorphism "R(G)" → "C(G)" is injective, so that "R(G)" can be identified with a subring of "C(G)".For a compact connected group "R(G)" is isomorphic to the subring of "R(T)" (where "T" is a maximal torus) consisting of those class functions that are invariant under the action of the Weyl group (Atiyah amd Hirzebruch, 1961). For the general compact Lie group, see Segal (1968).
References
*Citation |last1=Atiyah |first1= Michael F. |last2=Hirzebruch| first2=Friedrich | title=Vector bundles and homogeneous spaces |year=1961|journal= Proc. Sympos. Pure Math. | volume=III | publisher=American Mathematical Society | pages=7-38 | id=MathSciNet | id=0139181.
*Citation | last1=Bröcker| first1=Theodor| last2=tom Dieck | first2=Tammo| title=Representations of Compact Lie Groups | publisher=Springer-Verlag | location=New York, Berlin, Heidelberg, Tokyo | series=Graduate Texts in Mathematics | isbn= 0-387-13678-9| id=MathSciNet | id = 1410059 | year=1985 | volume=98
*Citation |last=Segal |first= Graeme |title=The representation ring of a compact Lie group |year=1968|journal=Publ. Math. de l'IHES | volume=34 | pages=113-128 | id=MathSciNet | id =0248277 .
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