Lie Groups – Fiber Product G ×B n as a Vector Bundle Over the Flag Variety

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This is from the discussion of Section 3.2 of Chriss and Ginzburg's "Rep Theory and Complex Geometry" text.

Fix $\mathfrak{g} = \mathfrak{sl}_n(V)$ (with $V = \mathbb{C}^n)$, and let $\mathcal{N}$ denote the set of nilpotent elements of $\mathfrak{g}$. Additionally, let $\mathcal{B}$ denote the set of Borel subalgebras $\mathfrak{b} \subset \mathfrak{g}$, and define $\mathcal{N}' := \{(x,\mathfrak{b}) \in \mathcal{N} \times \mathcal{B} : x \in \mathcal{b}\}$. I understand why it is a vector bundle over $\mathcal{B}$.

In this specific case, we have a fixed Borel subalgebra $\mathfrak{b}$ (and its corresponding Borel subgroup $B$), with weight space decomposition $\mathfrak{b} = \mathfrak{h} \oplus \mathfrak{n}$. By Engel's theorem, for nilpotent element $x \in \mathcal{N}$, there exists a basis for $V$ such that the matrix representation of $x$ lies in $\mathfrak{n}$.

The text then claims that this gives an isomorphism of vector bundles $\mathcal{N}' \cong G \times_B \mathfrak{n}$, but I do not see why. More specifically, I am not entirely sure what the maps $G \to B$ and $\mathfrak{n} \to B$ should be in the fiber product, which may be part of the reason I do not get this claim.

Best Answer

This is not a fiber product. It's why I think a better notation is $G \times^B \mathfrak n$. Also be careful with the notations : usually $B$ is a fixed Borel (in $G/B$ for example) and sometimes it may vary. So here we fix a Borel subgroup $B$.

Anyway, the construction is as follows : if $H \subset G$ is a closed subgroup and $E$ is a $H$-module, we can construct a vector bundle over $G/H$ given by $G \times^H E := (G \times E)/H$. Here $H$ acts by $h \cdot (g,e) = (gh, \rho(h^{-1})e)$. The construction is detailed here.

You can look at the map $\beta : G \times^B \mathfrak n \to \mathcal N'$, sending $(gB,x) \mapsto (Ad_g(x),gB)$, where $Ad_g(x)$ is the adjoint action, i.e $gxg^{-1}$ for matrix groups.

Now the claim follows if we can show that the map $G \times^B \mathfrak n \to \mathcal N'$ is an isomorphism (because we saw that $G \times^B \mathfrak n$ is a naturally a vector bundle over $\mathcal B$.) I think it is proved in Chriss-Ginzburg, but let us give the proof.

The maps is clearly surjective, since for any $x \in \mathfrak b'$ nilpotent, we have $\beta(g,Ad_g^{-1}(x)) = (x, \mathfrak b')$, where $gB \in \mathcal B$ correspond to $\mathfrak b'$.

Suppose $\beta(g,x) = \beta(g', x')$. Then, $gB = g'B$, so there is $b \in B$, such that $g = g'b$. From this and the equality $Ad_g(x) = Ad_{g'}(x')$ it is easy to conclude that $(g,x) = (g',x')$ in $G \times^B \mathfrak n$.

EDIT : In fact, the map $\beta$ was already constructed before in Corollary 3.1.33, to show the isomorphism $G \times^B \mathfrak b \cong \widetilde{\mathfrak g}$. Hence, to show that $G \times^B \mathfrak n \to \mathcal N'$, you just need to show surjectivity, which follows from the fact that all Borel are conjugated.

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