In mathematics, a prehomogeneous vector space (PVS) is a finite-dimensional vector space V together with a subgroup G of the general linear group GL(V) such that G has an open dense orbit in V. The term prehomogeneous vector space was introduced by Mikio Sato in 1970. These spaces have many applications in geometry, number theory and analysis, as well as representation theory. The irreducible PVS were classified first by Vinberg in his 1960 thesis in the special case when G is simple and later by Sato and Tatsuo Kimura in 1977 in the general case by means of a transformation known as "castling". They are subdivided into two types, according to whether the semisimple part of G acts prehomogeneously or not. If it doesn't then there is a homogeneous polynomial on V which is invariant under the semisimple part of G.