Bounded reductive subalgebras of sl(n)

Abstract

Let $\mathfrak g$ be a semisimple Lie algebra and $\mathfrak k\subset\mathfrak g$ be a reductive in $\mathfrak g$ subalgebra. A $(\mathfrak g, \mathfrak k)$-module is a $\mathfrak g$-module which after restriction to $\mathfrak k$ becomes a direct sum of finite-dimensional $\mathfrak k$-modules. I.Penkov and V.Serganova introduce definition of bounded $(\mathfrak g, \mathfrak k)$-modules for reductive subalgebras $\mathfrak k\subset\mathfrak g$, i.e. $(\mathfrak g, \mathfrak k)$-modules whose $\mathfrak k$-multiplicities are uniformly bounded. A question arising in this context is, given $\mathfrak g$, to describe all reductive in $\mathfrak g$ bounded subalgebras, i.e. reductive in $\mathfrak g$ subalgebras $\mathfrak k$ for which at least one infinite-dimensional bounded $(\mathfrak g, \mathfrak k)$-module exists. In the present paper we describe explicitly all reductive in $\mathfrak{sl}_n$ bounded subalgebras. Our technique is based on symplectic geometry and the notion of spherical variety. We also characterize the irreducible components of the associated varieties of simple bounded $(\mathfrak g, \mathfrak k)$-modules.