arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Donna M. Testerman.
A morphism of linear algebraic groups $ϕ:K\rightarrow G$ is called an epimorphism if it admits right cancellation. A subgroup $H\leq G$ is epimorphic if the inclusion map is an epimorphism. For $G$ a simple algebraic group over an algebraically closed field of arbitrary characteristic we construct epimorphic subgroups of bounded dimension (at most five).
Roger Carter (1934--2022) was a very well known mathematician working in algebra, representation theory and Lie theory. He spent most of his mathematical career in Warwick. Roger was a great communicator of mathematics: the clarity, precision and enthusiasm of his lectures delivered in his beautiful handwriting were hallmark features recalled by numerous students and colleagues. His books have been described as marvelous pieces of scholarship and service to the general mathematical community. We both met Roger early in our careers, and were encouraged and influenced by him~ -- ~and his lovely sense of humour. This text is our tribute, both to his mathematical achievements, and to his kindness and generosity towards his students, his colleagues, his collaborators, and his family.
Let k be an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic and G a simple algebraic group defined over k. Under the assumption that the characteristic is a good prime for G, we determine a maximal G-stable subvariety U' of the variety of unipotent elements of G such that for all u in U' any two A1-subgroups of G containing u are G-conjugate. This result establishes to what degree an analogue of the Jacobson-Morozov theorem for Lie algebras is valid for simple algebraic groups defined over fields of (good) positive characteristic
We continue our work (started in ``Multiplicity-free representations of algebraic groups", arXiv:2101.04476), on the program of classifying triples $(X,Y,V)$, where $X,Y$ are simple algebraic groups over an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero with $X<Y$, and $V$ is an irreducible module for $Y$ such that the restriction $V\downarrow X$ is multiplicity-free. In this paper we handle the case where $X$ is of type $A$, and is irreducibly embedded in $Y$ of type $B,C$ or $D$. It turns out that there are relatively few triples for $X$ of arbitrary rank, but a number of interesting exceptional examples arise for small ranks.
The category of linear algebraic groups admits non-surjective epimorphisms. For simple algebraic groups of rank $2$ defined over algebraically closed fields, we show that the minimal dimension of a closed epimorphic subgroup is $3$.
Let $G$ be a simple linear algebraic group defined over an algebraically closed field of characteristic $p\geq 0$ and let $ϕ$ be a $p$-restricted irreducible representation of $G$. Let $T$ be a maximal torus of $G$ and $s\in T$. We say that $s$ is strongly regular if $α(s)\neβ(s)$ for all distinct $T$-roots $α$ and $β$ of $G$. Our main result states that if all but one of the eigenvalues of $ϕ(s)$ are of multiplicity 1 then, with a few specified exceptions, $s$ is strongly regular. This can be viewed as an extension of our earlier result saying that under the same hypotheses, $s$ must be regular and all non-zero weights of $ϕ$ are of multiplicity 1.
Let $K$ be an algebraically closed field of characteristic zero, and let $G$ be a connected reductive algebraic group over $K$. We address the problem of classifying triples $(G,H,V)$, where $H$ is a proper connected subgroup of $G$, and $V$ is a finite-dimensional irreducible $G$-module such that the restriction of $V$ to $H$ is multiplicity-free -- that is, each of its composition factors appears with multiplicity 1. A great deal of classical work, going back to Weyl, Dynkin, Howe, Stembridge and others, and also more recent work of the authors, can be set in this context. In this paper we determine all such triples in the case where $H$ and $G$ are both simple algebraic groups of type $A$, and $H$ is embedded irreducibly in $G$. While there are a number of interesting familes of such triples $(G,H,V)$, the possibilities for the highest weights of the representations defining the embeddings $H<G$ and $G<GL(V)$ are very restricted. For example, apart from two exceptional cases, both weights can only have support on at most two fundamental weights; and in many of the examples, one or other of the weights corresponds to the alternating or symmetric square of the natural module for either $G$ or $H$.
We investigate positive-dimensional closed reductive subgroups of almost simple algebraic groups containing a regular unipotent element. Our main result states that such subgroups do not lie inside proper parabolic subgroups unless possibly when their connected component is a torus. This extends the earlier result of Testerman and Zalesski treating connected reductive subgroups.
Let $G$ be a simple exceptional algebraic group of adjoint type over an algebraically closed field of characteristic $p>0$ and let $X = {\rm PSL}_{2}(p)$ be a subgroup of $G$ containing a regular unipotent element $x$ of $G$. By a theorem of Testerman, $x$ is contained in a connected subgroup of $G$ of type $A_1$. In this paper we prove that with two exceptions, $X$ itself is contained in such a subgroup (the exceptions arise when $(G,p) = (E_6,13)$ or $(E_7,19)$). This extends earlier work of Seitz and Testerman, who established the containment under some additional conditions on $p$ and the embedding of $X$ in $G$. We discuss applications of our main result to the study of the subgroup structure of finite groups of Lie type.
Let $G$ be a simple linear algebraic group over an algebraically closed field $K$ of characteristic $p \geqslant 0$, let $H$ be a proper closed subgroup of $G$ and let $V$ be a nontrivial finite dimensional irreducible rational $KG$-module. We say that $(G,H,V)$ is an irreducible triple if $V$ is irreducible as a $KH$-module. Determining these triples is a fundamental problem in the representation theory of algebraic groups, which arises naturally in the study of the subgroup structure of classical groups. In the 1980s, Seitz and Testerman extended earlier work of Dynkin on connected subgroups in characteristic zero to all algebraically closed fields. In this article we will survey recent advances towards a classification of irreducible triples for all positive dimensional subgroups of simple algebraic groups.
Let $n\geq 3,$ and let $Y$ be a simply connected, simple algebraic group of type $D_{n+1}$ over an algebraically closed field $K.$ Also let $X$ be the subgroup of type $B_n$ of $Y,$ embedded in the usual way. In this paper, we correct an error in a proof of a theorem of Seitz, resulting in the discovery of a new family of triples $(X,Y,V),$ where $V$ denotes a finite-dimensional, irreducible, rational $KY$-module, on which $X$ acts irreducibly. We go on to investigate the impact of the existence of the new examples on the classification of the maximal closed connected subgroups of the classical algebraic groups.
Let $G$ be a simple algebraic group over an algebraically closed field $K$ of characteristic $p\geqslant 0$, let $H$ be a proper closed subgroup of $G$ and let $V$ be a nontrivial irreducible $KG$-module, which is $p$-restricted, tensor indecomposable and rational. Assume that the restriction of $V$ to $H$ is irreducible. In this paper, we study the triples $(G,H,V)$ of this form when $G$ is a classical group and $H$ is positive-dimensional. Combined with earlier work of Dynkin, Seitz, Testerman and others, our main theorem reduces the problem of classifying the triples $(G,H,V)$ to the case where $G$ is an orthogonal group, $V$ is a spin module and $H$ normalizes an orthogonal decomposition of the natural $KG$-module.
Let $G$ be a simple classical algebraic group over an algebraically closed field $K$ of characteristic $p \ge 0$ with natural module $W$. Let $H$ be a closed subgroup of $G$ and let $V$ be a non-trivial irreducible tensor-indecomposable $p$-restricted rational $KG$-module such that the restriction of $V$ to $H$ is irreducible. In this paper we classify all such triples $(G,H,V)$, where $H$ is a maximal closed disconnected positive-dimensional subgroup of $G$, and $H$ preserves a natural geometric structure on $W$.
Let K be any field, and let G be a semisimple group over K. Suppose the characteristic of K is positive and is very good for G. We describe all group scheme homomorphisms phi:SL(2) --> G whose image is geometrically G-completely reducible -- or G-cr -- in the sense of Serre; the description resembles that of irreducible modules given by Steinberg's tensor product theorem. In case K is algebraically closed and G is simple, the result proved here was previously obtained by Liebeck and Seitz using different methods. A recent result shows the Lie algebra of the image of phi to be geometrically G-cr; this plays an important role in our proof.