Bourbaki

Corollary

Tag 0APO, permanent. Cite it as [Bourbaki, Tag 0APO].

Lie Groups and Lie Algebras, chapter V, § 2. Reflections

Two distinct reflections s and u commute if and only if Vs−⊂Vu+V_s^- \subset V_u^+ and Vu−⊂Vs+V_u^- \subset V_s^+.

If Vs−⊂Vu+V_s^- \subset V_u^+ and Vu−⊂Vs+V_u^- \subset V_s^+, Prop. 3, (i) shows that Vu+V_u^+ and Vu−V_u^- are stable under ss, hence su=ussu = us by Prop. 3, (ii).

Conversely, if su=ussu = us, the subspace Vs−V_s^- is stable under uu by (ii); by (i), there are two possible cases:

a) We have Vu−⊂Vs−V_u^- \subset V_s^-: since they are both of dimension 1, these spaces are therefore equal, hence Vs−⊄Vu+V_s^- \not\subset V_u^+; since Vu+V_u^+ is stable under ss, we have Vu+⊂Vs+V_u^+ \subset V_s^+ and so these two hyperplanes are equal. But then s=us = u, contrary to our assumptions.

b) We have Vs−⊂Vu+V_s^- \subset V_u^+: the image of 1−s1 - s is thus contained in the kernel of 1−u1 - u, so (1−u).(1−s)=0(1 - u).(1 - s) = 0. Since ss and uu commute, we have (1−s).(1−u)=0(1 - s).(1 - u) = 0, in other words Vu−⊂Vs+V_u^- \subset V_s^+.

Bourbaki puts the proof directly after the statement, so what is above is the statement and its proof together.

Cited by

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Cites

Transcribed from the printed volume. Not translated.