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PropositionStatement: Literature-sourcedProof: AI-adaptedPipeline-generatedaudited 2026-09-22
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The roots form a reduced crystallographic Euclidean root system

Statement

Assume the Axiom of Choice. Let g be a finite-dimensional complex semisimple Lie algebra with Cartan subalgebra h, root set Φ=Φ(g,h) and Killing form B (Root and root space, Killing form). Let E:=span⁡RΦ⊆h∗,hR:=span⁡R{hα:α∈Φ} be the real span of the roots and the real span of the coroots (Coroot of a Lie-algebra root). Then:

(i) every λ∈E is real valued on hR, and restriction is a linear isomorphism E→Hom⁡R(hR,R);

(ii) hR is a real form of h, that is h=hR⊕ihR, and the Killing form restricted to hR is positive definite;

(iii) the formula (λ,μ):=B(Hλ,Hμ)(λ,μ∈E), where Hλ∈hR is the vector with B(Hλ,H)=λ(H) for all H∈hR (Killing-dual vector of a root), defines a positive definite inner product on E, and for all roots α,β 2(β,α)(α,α)=β(hα)∈Z;

(iv) with this inner product, (E,Φ) is a reduced crystallographic Euclidean root system in the sense of Reduced crystallographic Euclidean root system, and for every root α the abstract reflection x↦x−2(x,α)(α,α)α of that definition agrees with the reflection sα(λ)=λ−λ(hα)α of Root reflection defined by a coroot;

(v) if Δ={α1,…,αr} is the base of a positive system of (E,Φ) (Positive systems and simple roots), then Δ is a basis of E and {hα1,…,hαr} is a basis of hR, hence also a basis of h over C.

Facts & Assumptions

Given: The Axiom of Choice, such g,h,Φ and the Killing form B of Killing form.

[A1]

The Axiom of Choice is assumed; it enters only through the root-space suppliers [L1], [L2] and [L6], whose contracts carry the assumption (The Axiom of Choice).

[L1]

Φ is finite and g=h⊕⨁α∈Φgα; the root spaces are the eigenspaces of the ad⁡H with H∈h, and h=g0, the zero eigenspace (Root-space decomposition, Root and root space).

[L2]

Every root space is one-dimensional, and {H∈h:α(H)=0 for all α∈Φ}=0, so the roots span h∗; in particular Φ contains a basis of h∗ (Root spaces of a complex semisimple Lie algebra are one-dimensional, The center is the common kernel of the roots inside the Cartan subalgebra).

[L3]

B∣h is nondegenerate, the map h→h∗, H↦B(H,⋅), is an isomorphism, and for a root α the Killing-dual vector Hα satisfies α(Hα)=B(Hα,Hα)≠0; the coroot hα=2Hα/α(Hα) satisfies α(hα)=2 (Orthogonality of root spaces and nondegeneracy on the Cartan subalgebra, Killing-dual vector of a root, The Killing length of a root is nonzero, Coroot of a Lie-algebra root).

[L4]

For the coroots, α(hβ)=⟨α,β∨⟩ is an integer for all roots α,β (Cartan integers are integers).

[L5]

B(x,y)=tr⁡(ad⁡xad⁡y) on g, every ad⁡H with H∈h is diagonalisable, and the trace of an endomorphism whose characteristic polynomial factors as ∏i(x−λi) equals ∑iλi (Killing form, Toral and maximal toral subalgebras, If χT(x)=∏i<n(x−λi) in F[x], then tr⁡(T)=∑i<nλi: trace is the sum of the eigenvalues counted with algebraic multiplicity).

[L6]

For roots α,β the reflected functional sα(β)=β−β(hα)α is again a root, −α∈Φ, and the only scalar multiples of α that are roots are α and −α (Root reflections preserve the root set, Root reflection defined by a coroot, Roots of a complex semisimple Lie algebra form a reduced crystallographic root system, The only scalar multiples of a root that are roots are plus or minus the root).

[L7]

For a reduced crystallographic root system the base of a positive system is a basis of the ambient space (Reduced crystallographic Euclidean root system, Positive systems and simple roots, Simple roots form a signed integral basis).

Proof

technique · direct
1.1A1L1L2L5

By [L1] and [L2], Φ is finite, dim⁡gα=1 for every α∈Φ, and g=h⊕⨁α∈Φgα with h=g0 the zero eigenspace; hence for H∈h the operator ad⁡H is diagonalisable on g with eigenvalues α(H), each occurring on the one-dimensional space gα, together with the eigenvalue 0 on h.

1.2A1L2

The roots span h∗ over C: a proper subspace of h∗ has nonzero annihilator in h, so if Φ did not span h∗ there would be 0≠H∈h with α(H)=0 for every α, contradicting [L2].

2.1L3L4L5step 1.1

Fix α∈Φ and put c=α(Hα)=B(Hα,Hα)≠0. Since Hα=(c/2)hα, [L4] gives β(Hα)=(c/2)β(hα) for every root β. Applying the trace formula of [L5] to Hα and using step 1.1 yields c=B(Hα,Hα)=∑β∈Φβ(Hα)2=c24∑β∈Φβ(hα)2. The final sum is a positive integer because it contains the term α(hα)2=4; division by c≠0 therefore gives c=4∑β∈Φβ(hα)2>0. Thus hα=(2/c)Hα is a nonzero real multiple of Hα.

3.1A1L3step 1.2step 2.1

By [L3] the map φ:h∗→h, φ(λ)=Hλ with B(Hλ,H)=λ(H) for all H∈h, is a C-linear isomorphism; since the Hα are the images of the roots, step 1.2 shows that {Hα:α∈Φ} spans h over C, and step 2.1 shows that the coroots hα have the same complex span. Hence hR spans h over C.

4.1A1L2L4L5step 1.1step 3.1

Every α∈Φ is real valued on hR, because a real linear combination H=∑βcβhβ of coroots satisfies α(H)=∑βcβ α(hβ)∈R by [L4]; consequently, for H∈hR, [L5] and step 1.1 give B(H,H)=tr⁡(ad⁡H2)=∑α∈Φα(H)2≥0, and if B(H,H)=0 then α(H)=0 for all α, so H=0 by [L2]; thus B∣hR is positive definite.

5.1A1step 3.1step 4.1

The form B∣hR is positive definite by step 4.1; in particular hR∩ihR=0, because a vector in the intersection has α(H)∈R∩iR={0} for every root by step 4.1 and then H=0 by [L2]; moreover hR+ihR is a C-subspace of h containing the spanning set hR of step 3.1, hence equals h, so h=hR⊕ihR and dim⁡RhR=dim⁡Ch.

6.1A1L2step 5.1

Let λ∈E=span⁡RΦ, say λ=∑αcαα with real cα; then λ(H)∈R for every H∈hR by step 4.1, so restriction is a real linear map E→Hom⁡R(hR,R), and it is injective because a functional vanishing on hR vanishes on the C-span of hR, which is h by step 5.1; since dim⁡RE≥dim⁡Ch∗=dim⁡Ch=dim⁡RhR=dim⁡RHom⁡R(hR,R) by [L2] and step 5.1, the injection is an isomorphism, and Φ spans the real space E. This proves (i).

7.1A1step 4.1step 6.1

For λ,μ∈E define (λ,μ):=B(Hλ,Hμ), where Hλ∈hR is characterised by B(Hλ,H)=λ(H) for all H∈hR; this is bilinear, symmetric and positive definite by step 4.1, so it is an inner product on E. This proves the first assertion of (iii).

8.1A1L3L4step 7.1

For roots α,β we have Hα∈hR and 2(β,α)(α,α)=2B(Hβ,Hα)B(Hα,Hα)=2β(Hα)α(Hα)=β(2Hαα(Hα))=β(hα)∈Z by [L3], [L4] and step 7.1; this is the crystallographic identity in (iii), and it identifies the abstract reflection x↦x−2(x,α)(α,α)α with sα(x)=x−x(hα)α of [L6].

9.1A1L6step 6.1step 8.1

The set Φ⊆E is finite, consists of nonzero vectors and spans E by step 6.1; the reflection identity of step 8.1 shows that sα(Φ)⊆Φ for every α, because sα(β) is a root for all roots β by [L6] and sα is involutive, so sα(Φ)=Φ; the crystallographic integrality condition is step 8.1; and reducedness holds because the only scalar multiples of a root that are roots are α and −α, both of which lie in Φ, by [L6]; hence (E,Φ) is a reduced crystallographic Euclidean root system whose reflections are exactly the reflections sα of [L6]. This proves (iv).

10.1L3L7step 5.1step 6.1∎

Let Δ={α1,…,αr} be the base of a positive system of (E,Φ); by [L7] it is a basis of E, so under the isomorphism E→hR, λ↦Hλ, of step 6.1 the vectors Hα1,…,Hαr form a basis of hR, and since hαi is a nonzero real multiple of Hαi by [L3], the coroots hα1,…,hαr also form a basis of hR; because h=hR⊕ihR by step 5.1, that basis is a C-basis of h as well, which proves (v) and completes the proof.

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