Some Questions about Semisimple Lie Groups Originating in Matrix Theory

http://dx.doi.org/10.4153/CMB-2003-035-1
Canad. Math. Bull. 46(2003), 332-343

  Published:2003-09-01
 Printed: Sep 2003

We generalize the well-known result that a square traceless complex matrix is unitarily similar to a matrix with zero diagonal to arbitrary connected semisimple complex Lie groups $G$ and their Lie algebras $\mathfrak{g}$ under the action of a maximal compact subgroup $K$ of $G$. We also introduce a natural partial order on $\mathfrak{g}$: $x\le y$ if $f(K\cdot x) \subseteq f(K\cdot y)$ for all $f\in \mathfrak{g}^*$, the complex dual of $\mathfrak{g}$. This partial order is $K$-invariant and induces a partial order on the orbit space $\mathfrak{g}/K$. We prove that, under some restrictions on $\mathfrak{g}$, the set $f(K\cdot x)$ is star-shaped with respect to the origin.