Normalizer of the Chevalley group of type E7E_7

We consider the simply connected Chevalley group $G(E_7,R)$ of type $E_7$ in the 56-dimensional representation. The main objective of the paper is to prove that the following four groups coincide: the normalizer of the elementary Chevalley group $E(E_7,R)$, the normalizer of the Chevalley group $G(E_7,R)$ itself, the transporter of $E(E_7,R)$ into $G(\mathrm E_7,R)$, and the extended Chevalley group $\overline G(E_7,R)$. This holds over an arbitrary commutative ring $R$, with all normalizers and transporters being calculated in $GL(56,R)$. Moreover, we characterize $\overline G(E_7,R)$ as the stabilizer of a system of quadrics. This last result is classically known over algebraically closed fields, here we prove that the corresponding group scheme is smooth over $\mathbb Z$, which implies that it holds over arbitrary commutative rings. These results are one of the key steps in our subsequent paper, dedicated to the overgroups of exceptional groups in minimal representations.Comment: 23 pages, will be published in St. Petersburg Mathematical Journa

Generation of relative commutator subgroups in Chevalley groups. II

In the present paper, which is a direct sequel of our paper [12] joint with Roozbeh Hazrat, we prove unrelativised version of the standard commutator formula in the setting of Chevalley groups. Namely, let $\Phi$ be a reduced irreducible root system of rank $\ge 2$, let $R$ be a commutative ring and let $I,J$ be two ideals of $R$. We consider subgroups of the Chevalley group $G(\Phi,R)$ of type $\Phi$ over $R$. The unrelativised elementary subgroup $E(\Phi,I)$ of level $I$ is generated (as a group) by the elementary unipotents $x_{\alpha}(\xi)$, $\alpha\in\Phi$, $\xi\in I$, of level $I$. Obviously, in general $E(\Phi,I)$ has no chances to be normal in $E(\Phi,R)$, its normal closure in the absolute elementary subgroup $E(\Phi,R)$ is denoted by $E(\Phi,R,I)$. The main results of [12] implied that the commutator $\big[E(\Phi,I),E(\Phi,J)]$ is in fact normal in $E(\Phi,R)$. In the present paper we prove an unexpected result that in fact $\big[E(\Phi,I),E(\Phi,J)]=\big[E(\Phi,R,I),E(\Phi,R,J)\big]$. It follows that the standard commutator formula also holds in the unrelativised form, namely $\big[E(\Phi,I),C(\Phi,R,J)]=\big[E(\Phi,I),E(\Phi,J)\big]$, where $C(\Phi,R,I)$ is the full congruence subgroup of level $I$. In particular, $E(\Phi,I)$ is normal in $C(\Phi,R,I)$.Comment: 14 Page

Grothendieck-Serre Conjecture I: Appendix

We prove here some supplementary statements that appeared without proof in I. Panin, A. Stavrova, N. Vavilov, On Grothendieck--Serre's conjecture concerning principal $G$-bundles over reductive group schemes:I, arXiv:0905.1418Comment: We prove some supplementary statements that appeared without proof in arXiv:0905.1418; 10 page

Generation of relative commutator subgroups in Chevalley groups

Let $\Phi$ be a reduced irreducible root system of rank $\ge 2$, let $R$ be a commutative ring and let $I,J$ be two ideals of $R$. In the present paper we describe generators of the commutator groups of relative elementary subgroups $\big[E(\Phi,R,I),E(\Phi,R,J)\big]$ both as normal subgroups of the elementary Chevalley group $E(\Phi,R)$, and as groups. Namely, let x_{\a}(\xi), \a\in\Phi, $\xi\in R$, be an elementary generator of $E(\Phi,R)$. As a normal subgroup of the absolute elementary group $E(\Phi,R)$, the relative elementary subgroup is generated by x_{\a}(\xi), \a\in\Phi, $\xi\in I$. Classical results due to Michael Stein, Jacques Tits and Leonid Vaserstein assert that as a group $E(\Phi,R,I)$ is generated by z_{\a}(\xi,\eta), where \a\in\Phi, $\xi\in I$, $\eta\in R$. In the present paper, we prove the following birelative analogues of these results. As a normal subgroup of $E(\Phi,R)$ the relative commutator subgroup $\big[E(\Phi,R,I),E(\Phi,R,J)\big]$ is generated by the following three types of generators: i) $\big[x_{\alpha}(\xi),z_{\alpha}(\zeta,\eta)\big]$, ii) $\big[x_{\alpha}(\xi),x_{-\alpha}(\zeta)\big]$, and iii) $x_{\alpha}(\xi\zeta)$, where $\alpha\in\Phi$, $\xi\in I$, $\zeta\in J$, $\eta\in R$. As a group, the generators are essentially the same, only that type iii) should be enlarged to iv) $z_{\alpha}(\xi\zeta,\eta)$. For classical groups, these results, with much more computational proofs, were established in previous papers by the authors. There is already an amazing application of these results, namely in the recent work of Alexei Stepanov on relative commutator width

Multiple Commutator Formulas for Unitary Groups

Let (\FormR) be a form ring such that $A$ is quasi-finite $R$-algebra (i.e., a direct limit of module finite algebras) with identity. We consider the hyperbolic Bak's unitary groups \GU(2n,\FormR), $n\ge 3$. For a form ideal $(I,\Gamma)$ of the form ring (\FormR) we denote by \EU(2n,I,\Gamma) and \GU(2n,I,\Gamma) the relative elementary group and the principal congruence subgroup of level $(I,\Gamma)$, respectively. Now, let $(I_i,\Gamma_i)$, $i=0,...,m$, be form ideals of the form ring $(A,\Lambda)$. The main result of the present paper is the following multiple commutator formula [\big[\EU(2n,I_0,\Gamma_0),&\GU(2n,I_1,\Gamma_1),\GU(2n, I_2,\Gamma_2),..., \GU(2n,I_m,\Gamma_m)\big]= &\big[\EU(2n,I_0,\Gamma_0),\EU(2n,I_1,\Gamma_1),\EU(2n,I_2,\Gamma_2),..., \EU(2n, I_m, \Gamma_m)\big],] which is a broad generalization of the standard commutator formulas. This result contains all previous results on commutator formulas for classical like-groups over commutative and finite-dimensional rings.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:0911.551

Relative commutator calculus in Chevalley groups

We revisit localisation and patching method in the setting of Chevalley groups. Introducing certain subgroups of relative elementary Chevalley groups, we develop relative versions of the conjugation calculus and the commutator calculus in Chevalley groups $G(\Phi,R)$, \rk(\Phi)\geq 2, which are both more general, and substantially easier than the ones available in the literature. For classical groups such relative commutator calculus has been recently developed by the authors in \cite{RZ,RNZ}. As an application we prove the mixed commutator formula, \big [E(\Phi,R,\ma),C(\Phi,R,\mb)\big ]=\big [E(\Phi,R,\ma),E(\Phi,R,\mb)\big], for two ideals \ma,\mb\unlhd R. This answers a problem posed in a paper by Alexei Stepanov and the second author

Relative centralisers of relative subgroups

Let $R$ be an associative ring with 1, $G=GL(n, R)$ be the general linear group of degree $n\ge 3$ over $R$. In this paper we calculate the relative centralisers of the relative elementary subgroups or the principal congruence subgroups, corresponding to an ideal $A\unlhd R$ modulo the relative elementary subgroups or the principal congruence subgroups, corresponding to another ideal $B\unlhd R$. Modulo congruence subgroups the results are essentially easy exercises in linear algebra. But modulo the elementary subgroups they turned out to be quite tricky, and we could get definitive answers only over commutative rings, or, in some cases, only over Dedekind rings. We discuss also some further related problems, such as the interrelations of various birelative commutator subgroups, etc., and state several unsolved questions.Comment: 12 page

Commutators of relative and unrelative elementary subgroups in Chevalley groups

In the present paper, which is a direct sequel of our papers [10,11,35] joint with Roozbeh Hazrat, we achieve a further dramatic reduction of the generating sets for commutators of relative elementary subgroups in Chevalley groups. Namely, let $\Phi$ be a reduced irreducible root system of rank $\ge 2$, let $R$ be a commutative ring and let $A,B$ be two ideals of $R$. We consider subgroups of the Chevalley group $G(\Phi,R)$ of type $\Phi$ over $R$. The unrelative elementary subgroup $E(\Phi,A)$ of level $A$ is generated (as a group) by the elementary unipotents $x_{\alpha}(a)$, $\alpha\in\Phi$, $a\in A$, of level $A$. Its normal closure in the absolute elementary subgroup $E(\Phi,R)$ is denoted by $E(\Phi,R,A)$ and is called the relative elementary subgroup of level $A$. The main results of [11,35] consisted in construction of economic generator sets for the mutual commutator subgroups $[E(\Phi,R,A),E(\Phi,R,B)]$, where $A$ and $B$ are two ideals of $R$. It turned out that one can take Stein---Tits---Vaserstein generators of $E(\Phi,R,AB)$, plus elementary commutators of the form $y_{\alpha}(a,b)=[x_{\alpha}(a),x_{-\alpha}(b)]$, where $a\in A$, $b\in B$. Here we improve these results even further, by showing that in fact it suffices to engage only elementary commutators corresponding to {\it one\/} long root, and that modulo $E(\Phi,R,AB)$ the commutators $y_{\alpha}(a,b)$ behave as symbols. We discuss also some further variations and applications of these results.Comment: 18 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1811.1126

Relative and unrelative elementary groups, revisited

Let $R$ be any associative ring with $1$, $n\ge 3$, and let $A,B$ be two-sided ideals of $R$. In the present paper we show that the mixed commutator subgroup $[E(n,R,A),E(n,R,B)]$ is generated as a group by the elements of the two following forms: 1) $z_{ij}(ab,c)$ and $z_{ij}(ba,c)$, 2) $[t_{ij}(a),t_{ji}(b)]$, where $1\le i\neq j\le n$, $a\in A$, $b\in B$, $c\in R$. Moreover, for the second type of generators, it suffices to fix one pair of indices $(i,j)$. This result is both stronger and more general than the previous results by Roozbeh Hazrat and the authors. In particular, it implies that for all associative rings one has the equality $\big[E(n,R,A),E(n,R,B)\big]=\big[E(n,A),E(n,B)\big]$ and many further corollaries can be derived for rings subject to commutativity conditions.Comment: 12 page

Multiple commutators of elementary subgroups: end of the line

In our previous joint papers with Roozbeh Hazrat and Alexei Stepanov we established commutator formulas for relative elementary subgroups in $GL(n,R)$, $n\ge 3$, and other similar groups, such as Bak's unitary groups, or Chevalley groups. In particular, there it was shown that multiple commutators of elementary subgroups can be reduced to double such commutators. However, since the proofs of these results depended on the standard commutator formulas, it was assumed that the ground ring $R$ is quasi-finite. Here we propose a different approach which allows to lift any such assumptions and establish almost definitive results. In particular, we prove multiple commutator formulas, and other related facts for $GL(n,R)$ over an {\it arbitrary} associative ring $R$.Comment: 14 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1910.0898