Let K be a field of characteristic 0, G the direct sum of two copies of the additive group of integers. For a total order ≺ on G, which is compatible with the addition, and for any ċ1, ċ2 ∈ K, we define G-graded highest weight modules M(ċ1, ċ2, ≺) over the Virasoro-like algebra , indexed by G. It is natural to call them Verma modules. In the present paper, the irreducibility of M (ċ1, ċ2, ≺) is completely determined and the structure of reducible module M (ċ1, ċ2, ≺)is also described.

A thin Lie algebra is a Lie algebra graded over the positive integers satisfying a certain narrowness condition. We describe several cyclic grading of the modular Hamiltonian Lie algebras H(2: n; ω2) (of dimension one less than a power of p) from which we construct infinite-dimensional thin Lie algebras. In the process we provide an explicit identification of H(2: n; ω2) with a Block algebra. We also compute its second cohomology group and its derivation algebra (in arbitrary prime characteristic).

Let ℋ(m;t) be the finite-dimensional odd Hamiltonian superalgebra over a field of prime characteristic. By determining ad-nilpotent elements in the even part, the natural filtration of ℋ (m;t) is proved to be invariant in the following sense: If ϕ: ℋ (m;t) → ℋ (m′t′) is an isomorphism then ϕ(ℋ(m;t)i) = ℋ (m′ t′) i for all i ≥ –1. Using the result, we complete the classification of odd Hamiltonian superalgebras. Finally, we determine the automorphism group of the restricted odd Hamiltonian superalgebra and give further properties.

Let L be a finite-dimensional Lie algebra over the field F. The Ado-Iwasawa Theorem asserts the existence of a finite-dimensional L-module which gives a faithful representation ρ of L. Let S be a subnormal subalgebra of L, let be a saturated formation of soluble Lie algebras and suppose that S ∈ . I show that there exists a module V with the extra property that it is -hypercentral as S-module. Further, there exists a module V which has this extra property simultaneously for every such S and , along with the Hochschild extra that ρ(x) is nilpotent for every x ∈ L with ad(x) nilpotent. In particular, if L is supersoluble, then it has a faithful representation by upper triangular matrices.

Let K be a field of prime characteristic p and let G be a finite group with a Sylow p-subgroup of order p. For any finite-dimensional K G-module V and any positive integer n, let Ln (V) denote the nth homogeneous component of the free Lie K-algebra generated by (a basis of) V. Then Ln(V) can be considered as a K G-module, called the nth Lie power of V. The main result of the paper is a formula which describes the module structure of Ln(V) up to isomorphism.

For each complex reductive dual pair introduced by R. Howe, this paper presents a formula for the central elements of the universal enveloping algebras given by I. M. Gelfand. This formula provides an explicit description of the correspondence between the ‘centers’ of the two universal enveloping algebras.

Following the analogy with group theory, we define the Wielandt subalgebra of a finite-dimensional Lie algebra to be the intersection of the normalisers of the subnormal subalgebras. In a non-zero algebra, this is a non-zero ideal if the ground field has characteristic 0 or if the derived algebra is nilpotent, allowing the definition of the Wielandt series. For a Lie algebra with nilpotent derived algebra, we obtain a bound for the derived length in terms of the Wielandt length and show this bound to be best possible. We also characterise the Lie algebras with nilpotent derived algebra and Wielandt length 2.

Let be a saturated formation of soluble Lie algebras over the field F, and let L ∈ . Let V and W be -hypercentral and -hyperexcentric L-modules respectively. Then V ⊗FW and HomF(V, W) are -hyperexcentric and Hn(L, W) = 0 for all n.

We give some higher dimensional analogues of the Durfee square formula and point out their relation to dissections of multipartitions. We apply the results to write certain affine Lie algebra characters in terms of Universal Chiral Partition Functions.

Let G be a finite group of order pk, where p is a prime and k ≥ 1, such that G is either cyclic, quaternion or generalised quaternion. Let V be a finite-dimensional free KG-module where K is a field of characteristic p. The Lie powers Ln(V) are naturally KG-modules and the main result identifies these modules up to isomorphism. There are only two isomorphism types of indecomposables occurring as direct summands of these modules, namely the regular KG-module and the indecomposable of dimension pk – pk−1 induced from the indecomposable K H-module of dimension p − 1, where H is the unique subgroup of G of order p. Formulae are given for the multiplicities of these indecomposables in Ln(V). This extends and utilises work of the first author and R. Stöhr concerned with the case where G has order p.

A cover for a group is a finite set of subgroups whose union is the whole group. A cover is minimal if its cardinality is minimal. Minimal covers of finite soluble groups are categorised; in particular all but at most one of their members are maximal subgroups. A characterisation is given of groups with minimal covers consisting of abelian subgroups.

We exhibit a variation of the Lazard Elimination theorem for free restricted Lie algebras, and apply it to two problems about finite group actions on free Lie algebras over fields of positive characteristic.

We show that a quantum Verma-type module for a quantum group associated to an affine Kac-Moody algebra is characterized by its subspace of finite-dimensional weight spaces. In order to do this we prove an explicit equivalence of categories between a certain category containing the quantum Verma modules and a category of modules for a subalgebra of the quantum group for which the finite part of the Verma module is itself a module.

Nonsingular derivations of modular Lie algebras which have finite multiplicative order play a role in the coclass theory for pro-p groups and Lie algebras. We study the orders of nonsingular derivations of finite-dimensional non-nilpotent Lie algebras of characteristic p > 0. The methods are essentially number-theoretic.

1991 Mathematics subject classification (Amer. Math. Soc): primary 17B50; secondary 12E20.

We investigate a class of infinite-dimensional, modular, graded Lie algebra in which the homogeneous components have dimension at most two. A subclass of these algebras can be obtained via a twisted loop algebra construction from certain finite-dimensional, simple Lie algebras of Albert-Frank type.

Another subclass of these algebras is strictly related to certain graded Lie algebras of maximal class, and exhibits a wide range of behaviours.

Let r be a positive integer, F a field of odd prime characteristic p, and L the free Lie algebra of rank r over F. Consider L a module for the symmetric group , of all permutations of a free generating set of L. The homogeneous components Ln of L are finite dimensional submodules, and L is their direct sum. For p ≤ r ≤ 2p, the main results of this paper identify the non-porojective indecomposable direct summands of the Ln as Specht modules or dual Specht modules corresponding to certain partitions. For the case r = p, the multiplicities of these indecomposables in the direct decompositions of the Ln are also determined, as are the multiplicities of the projective indecomposables. (Corresponding results for p = 2 have been obtained elsewhere.)

For a real vector space V acted on by a group K and fixed x and y in V, we consider the problem of finding the minimum (respectively, maximum) distance, relative to a K-invariant convex function on V, between x and elements of the convex hull of the K-orbit of y. We solve this problem in the case where V is a Euclidean space and K is a finite reflection group acting on V. Then we use this result to obtain an analogous result in the case where K is a maximal compact subgroup of a reductive group G with adjoint action on the vector component ρ of a Cartan decomposition of Lie G. Our results generalize results of Li and Tsing and of Cheng concerning distances to the convex hulls of matrix orbits.

We prove a Futorny-like theorem which describes the support of an irreducible weight module over the Witt–Kaplansky algebra of rank(2, 2).

Lie algebras whose finite-dimensional modules decompose into direct sums of modules involving only one type of irreducible are investigated. Some vanishing theorems for the cohomology of some infinite-dimensional Lie algebras are thereby obtained.

We investigate the identities which hold in the associated Lie rings of groups of prime exponent. The multilinear identities which hold in these Lie rings are known, and it is conjectured that all the identities which hold in these Lie rings are consequences of multilinear ones. This is known to be the case for the associated Lie rings of two generator groups of exponent 5, and we provide some additional avidence for the conjecture by confirming that it also holds true for the associated Lie rings of three generator groups of exponent five.