Semisimple representation
In mathematics, specifically in representation theory, a semisimple representation is a linear representation of a group or an algebra that is a direct sum of simple representations. It is an example of the general mathematical notion of semisimplicity.
Many representations that appear in applications of representation theory are semisimple or can be approximated by semisimple representations. A semisimple module over an algebra over a field is an example of a semisimple representation. Conversely, a semisimple representation of a group G over a field k is a semisimple module over the group ring k.
Equivalent characterizations
Let V be a representation of a group G; or more generally, let V be a vector space with a set of linear endomorphisms acting on it. In general, a vector space acted on by a set of linear endomorphisms is said to be simple if the only invariant subspaces for those operators are zero and the vector space itself; a semisimple representation then is a direct sum of simple representations in that sense.The following are equivalent:
- V is semisimple as a representation.
- V is a sum of simple subrepresentations.
- Each subrepresentation W of V admits a complementary representation: a subrepresentation W such that.
Examples and non-examples
Unitary representations
A finite-dimensional unitary representation is a basic example of a semisimple representation. Such a representation is semisimple since if W is a subrepresentation, then the orthogonal complement to W is a complementary representation because if and, then for any w in W since W is G-invariant, and so.For example, given a continuous finite-dimensional complex representation of a finite group or a compact group G, by the averaging argument, one can define an inner product on V that is G-invariant: i.e.,, which is to say is a unitary operator and so is a unitary representation. Hence, every finite-dimensional continuous complex representation of G is semisimple. For a finite group, this is a special case of Maschke's theorem, which says a finite-dimensional representation of a finite group G over a field k with characteristic not dividing the order of G is semisimple.
Representations of semisimple Lie algebras
By Weyl's theorem on complete reducibility, every finite-dimensional representation of a semisimple Lie algebra over a field of characteristic zero is semisimple.Separable minimal polynomials
Given a linear endomorphism T of a vector space V, V is semisimple as a representation of T if and only if the minimal polynomial of T is separable; i.e., a product of distinct irreducible polynomials.Associated semisimple representation
Given a finite-dimensional representation V, the Jordan–Hölder theorem says there is a filtration by subrepresentations: such that each successive quotient is a simple representation. Then the associated vector space is a semisimple representation called an associated semisimple representation, which, up to an isomorphism, is uniquely determined by V.Unipotent group non-example
A representation of a unipotent group is generally not semisimple. Take to be the group consisting of real matrices ; it acts on in a natural way and makes V a representation of G. If W is a subrepresentation of V that has dimension 1, then a simple calculation shows that it must be spanned by the vector. That is, there are exactly three G-subrepresentations of V; in particular, V is not semisimple.Semisimple decomposition and multiplicity
The decomposition of a semisimple representation into simple ones, called a semisimple decomposition, need not be unique; for example, for a trivial representation, simple representations are one-dimensional vector spaces and thus a semisimple decomposition amounts to a choice of a basis of the representation vector space. The isotypic decomposition, on the other hand, is an example of a unique decomposition.However, for a finite-dimensional semisimple representation V over an algebraically closed field, the numbers of simple representations up to isomorphisms appearing in the decomposition of V are unique and completely determine the representation up to isomorphisms; this is a consequence of Schur's lemma in the following way. Suppose a finite-dimensional semisimple representation V over an algebraically closed field is given: by definition, it is a direct sum of simple representations. By grouping together simple representations in the decomposition that are isomorphic to each other, up to an isomorphism, one finds a decomposition :
where are simple representations, mutually non-isomorphic to one another, and are positive integers. By Schur's lemma,
where refers to the equivariant linear maps. Also, each is unchanged if is replaced by another simple representation isomorphic to. Thus, the integers are independent of chosen decompositions; they are the multiplicities of simple representations, up to isomorphisms, in V.
In general, given a finite-dimensional representation of a group G over a field k, the composition is called the character of. When is semisimple with the decomposition as above, the trace is the sum of the traces of with multiplicities and thus, as functions on G,
where are the characters of. When G is a finite group or more generally a compact group and is a unitary representation with the inner product given by the averaging argument, the Schur orthogonality relations say: the irreducible characters of G are an orthonormal subset of the space of complex-valued functions on G and thus.
Isotypic decomposition
There is a decomposition of a semisimple representation that is unique, called the isotypic decomposition of the representation. By definition, given a simple representation S, the isotypic component of type S of a representation V is the sum of all subrepresentations of V that are isomorphic to S; note the component is also isomorphic to the direct sum of some choice of subrepresentations isomorphic to S.Then the isotypic decomposition of a semisimple representation V is the direct sum decomposition:
where is the set of isomorphism classes of simple representations of V and is the isotypic component of V of type S for some.
Completion
In Fourier analysis, one decomposes a function as the limit of the Fourier series of the function. In much the same way, a representation itself may not be semisimple but it may be the completion of a semisimple representation. The most basic case of this is the Peter–Weyl theorem, which decomposes the left regular representation of a compact group into the Hilbert-space completion of the direct sum of all simple unitary representations. As a corollary, there is a natural decomposition for = the Hilbert space of square-integrable functions on a compact group G:where means the completion of the direct sum and the direct sum runs over all isomorphism classes of simple finite-dimensional unitary representations of G. Note here that every simple unitary representation appears in the sum with the multiplicity the dimension of the representation.
When the group G is a finite group, the vector space is simply the group algebra of G and also the completion is vacuous. Thus, the theorem simply says that
That is, each simple representation of G appears in the regular representation with multiplicity the dimension of the representation. This is one of standard facts in the representation theory of a finite group.
When the group G is the circle group, the theorem exactly amounts to the classical Fourier analysis.