Oriented matroid structures from realized root systems

Journal of Algebraic Combinatorics - This paper investigates the question of uniqueness of the reduced oriented matroid structure arising from root systems of a Coxeter system in real vector...     

Root Systems for Asymmetric Geometric Representations of Coxeter Groups

Results are obtained concerning root systems for asymmetric geometric representations of Coxeter groups. These representations were independently introduced by Vinberg and Eriksson, and generalize the standard geometric representation of a Coxeter group in such a way as to include certain restrictions of all Kac–Moody Weyl groups. In particular, a characterization of when a nontrivial multiple of a root may also be a root is given in the general context. Characterizations of when the number of such multiples of a root is finite and when the number of positive roots sent to negative roots by a group element is finite are also given. These characterizations are stated in terms of combinatorial conditions on a graph closely related to the Coxeter graph for the group. Other finiteness results for the symmetric case which are connected to the Tits cone and to a natural partial order on positive roots are extended to this asymmetric setting.     

Invariant convex subcones of the Tits cone of a linear Coxeter group

We investigate the faces and the face lattices of arbitrary Coxeter group invariant convex subcones of the Tits cone of a linear Coxeter system as introduced by E.B. Vinberg. Particular examples are given by certain Weyl group invariant polyhedral cones, which underlie the theory of normal reductive linear algebraic monoids as developed by M.S. Putcha and L.E. Renner. We determine the faces and the face lattice of the Tits cone and the imaginary cone, generalizing some of the results obtained for linear Coxeter systems with symmetric root bases by M. Dyer, and for linear Coxeter systems with free root bases by E. Looijenga, P. Slodowy, and the author.     

Parabolic subgroup orbits on finite root systems

Oshima's Lemma describes the orbits of parabolic subgroups of irreducible finite Weyl groups on crystallographic root systems. This note generalises that result to all root systems of finite Coxeter groups, and provides a self contained proof, independent of the representation theory of semisimple complex Lie algebras.     

On the Weak Order of Orthogonal Groups

A complete lattice structure is defined on the underlying set of the orthogonal group of a real Euclidean space, by a construction analogous to that of the weak order of Coxeter systems in terms of root systems. This produces a complete rootoid in the sense of Dyer, with the orthogonal group as underlying group. It is shown that this complete lattice has a saturation property which is used along with other properties of the lattice to characterize the maximal totally ordered subsets of the lattice as collections of initial sections with respect to a total ordering on the positive roots.     

Logarithmic Frobenius structures and Coxeter discriminants

We consider a class of solutions of the WDVV equation related to the special systems of covectors (called ∨-systems) and show that the corresponding logarithmic Frobenius structures can be naturally restricted to any intersection of the corresponding hyperplanes. For the Coxeter arrangements the corresponding structures are shown to be almost dual in Dubrovin's sense to the Frobenius structures on the strata in the discriminants discussed by Strachan. For the classical Coxeter root systems this leads to the families of ∨-systems from the earlier work by Chalykh and Veselov. For the exceptional Coxeter root systems we give the complete list of the corresponding ∨-systems. We present also some new families of ∨-systems, which cannot be obtained in such a way from the Coxeter root systems.     

Branching Rules for Splint Root Systems

Algebras and Representation Theory - A root system is splint if it is a decomposition into a union of two disjoint root systems. Examples of such root systems arise naturally in studying embeddings...     

A generalization of Coxeter groups,root systems,and Matsumoto’s theorem

The root systems appearing in the theory of Lie superalgebras and Nichols algebras admit a large symmetry extending properly the one coming from the Weyl group. Based on this observation we set up a general framework in which the symmetry object is a groupoid. We prove that in our context the groupoid is generated by simple reflections and Coxeter relations. In a broad sense this answers a question of Serganova. Our weak version of the exchange condition allows us to prove Matsumoto’s theorem. Therefore the word problem is solved for the groupoid.     

Rationally 4-periodic biquotients

We give an explicit construction of a maximal torsion-free finite-index subgroup of a certain type of Coxeter group. The subgroup is constructed as the fundamental group of a finite and non-positively curved polygonal complex. First we consider the special case where the universal cover of this polygonal complex is a hyperbolic building, and we construct finite-index embeddings of the fundamental group into certain cocompact lattices of the building. We show that in this special case the fundamental group is an amalgam of surface groups over free groups. We then consider the general case, and construct a finite-index embedding of the fundamental group into the Coxeter group whose Davis complex is the universal cover of the polygonal complex. All of the groups which we embed have minimal index among torsion-free subgroups, and therefore are maximal among torsion-free subgroups.     

On Rank 2 Complex Reflection Groups

We describe a class of groups with the property that the finite ones among them are precisely the complex reflection groups of rank 2. This situation is reminiscent of Coxeter groups, among which the finite ones are precisely the real reflection groups. We also study braid relations between complex reflections and indicate connections to an axiomatic study of root systems and to the Shephard–Todd “collineation groups.”     

Reflection Independence in Even Coxeter Groups

If (W,S) is a Coxeter system, then an element of W is a reflection if it is conjugate to some element of S. To each Coxeter system there is an associated Coxeter diagram. A Coxeter system is called reflection preserving if every automorphism of W preserves reflections in this Coxeter system. As a direct application of our main theorem, we classify all reflection preserving even Coxeter systems. More generally, if (W,S) is an even Coxeter system, we give a combinatorial condition on the diagram for (W,S) that determines whether or not two even systems for W have the same set of reflections. If (W,S) is even and (W,S) is not even, then these systems do not have the same set of reflections. A Coxeter group is said to be reflection independent if any two Coxeter systems (W,S) and (W,S) have the same set of reflections. We classify all reflection independent even Coxeter groups.Mathematics Subject Classifications (2000). 20F05, 20F55, 20F65, 51F15.     

Homotopy type of the boolean complex of a Coxeter system

In any Coxeter group, the set of elements whose principal order ideals are boolean forms a simplicial poset under the Bruhat order. This simplicial poset defines a cell complex, called the boolean complex. In this paper it is shown that, for any Coxeter system of rank n, the boolean complex is homotopy equivalent to a wedge of (n−1)-dimensional spheres. The number of such spheres can be computed recursively from the unlabeled Coxeter graph, and defines a new graph invariant called the boolean number. Specific calculations of the boolean number are given for all finite and affine irreducible Coxeter systems, as well as for systems with graphs that are disconnected, complete, or stars. One implication of these results is that the boolean complex is contractible if and only if a generator of the Coxeter system is in the center of the group.     

A note on parabolic subgroups of a Coxeter group

The aim of this note is to prove that the parabolic closure of any subset of a Coxeter group is a parabolic subgroup. To obtain that, several technical lemmas on the root system of a parabolic subgroup are established.     

Generalized Calogero–Moser systems from rational Cherednik algebras

We consider ideals of polynomials vanishing on the W-orbits of the intersections of mirrors of a finite reflection group W. We determine all such ideals that are invariant under the action of the corresponding rational Cherednik algebra hence form submodules in the polynomial module. We show that a quantum integrable system can be defined for every such ideal for a real reflection group W. This leads to known and new integrable systems of Calogero–Moser type which we explicitly specify. In the case of classical Coxeter groups, we also obtain generalized Calogero–Moser systems with added quadratic potential.     

Coxeter cones and their h-vectors

Coxeter cones are formed by intersecting the nonnegative sides of a collection of root hyperplanes in some root system. They are shellable subcomplexes of the Coxeter complex, and their h-vectors record the distribution of descents among their chambers. We identify a natural class of “graded” Coxeter cones with the property that their h-vectors are symmetric and unimodal, thereby generalizing recent theorems of Reiner-Welker and Brändén about the Eulerian polynomials of graded partially ordered sets.     

A Clifford Algebraic Framework for Coxeter Group Theoretic Computations

Real physical systems with reflective and rotational symmetries such as viruses, fullerenes and quasicrystals have recently been modeled successfully in terms of three-dimensional (affine) Coxeter groups. Motivated by this progress, we explore here the benefits of performing the relevant computations in a Geometric Algebra framework, which is particularly suited to describing reflections. Starting from the Coxeter generators of the reflections, we describe how the relevant chiral (rotational), full (Coxeter) and binary polyhedral groups can be easily generated and treated in a unified way in a versor formalism. In particular, this yields a simple construction of the binary polyhedral groups as discrete spinor groups. These in turn are known to generate Lie and Coxeter groups in dimension four, notably the exceptional groups D ₄, F ₄ and H ₄. A Clifford algebra approach thus reveals an unexpected connection between Coxeter groups of ranks 3 and 4. We discuss how to extend these considerations and computations to the Conformal Geometric Algebra setup, in particular for the non-crystallographic groups, and construct root systems and quasicrystalline point arrays. We finally show how a Clifford versor framework sheds light on the geometry of the Coxeter element and the Coxeter plane for the examples of the twodimensional non-crystallographic Coxeter groups I ₂(n) and the threedimensional groups A ₃, B ₃, as well as the icosahedral group H ₃. IPPP/12/49, DCPT/12/98     

Geometric combinatorics of Weyl groupoids

We extend properties of the weak order on finite Coxeter groups to Weyl groupoids admitting a finite root system. In particular, we determine the topological structure of intervals with respect to weak order, and show that the set of morphisms with fixed target object forms an ortho-complemented meet semilattice. We define the Coxeter complex of a Weyl groupoid with finite root system and show that it coincides with the triangulation of a sphere cut out by a simplicial hyperplane arrangement. As a consequence, one obtains an algebraic interpretation of many hyperplane arrangements that are not reflection arrangements.     

Bounding reflection length in an affine Coxeter group

In any Coxeter group, the conjugates of elements in the standard minimal generating set are called reflections, and the minimal number of reflections needed to factor a particular element is called its reflection length. In this article we prove that the reflection length function on an affine Coxeter group has a uniform upper bound. More precisely, we prove that the reflection length function on an affine Coxeter group that naturally acts faithfully and cocompactly on ℝ ⁿ is bounded above by 2n, and we also show that this bound is optimal. Conjecturally, spherical and affine Coxeter groups are the only Coxeter groups with a uniform bound on reflection length.