Solvable Lie algebra

Lie groups and Lie algebras
Classical groups General linear GL(n) Special linear SL(n) Orthogonal O(n) Special orthogonal SO(n) Unitary U(n) Special unitary SU(n) Symplectic Sp(n)
Simple Lie groups Classical An Bn Cn Dn Exceptional G2 F4 E6 E7 E8
Other Lie groups Circle Lorentz Poincaré Conformal group Diffeomorphism Loop Euclidean
Lie algebras Lie group–Lie algebra correspondence Exponential map Adjoint representation Killing form Index Simple Lie algebra Loop algebra Affine Lie algebra
Semisimple Lie algebra Dynkin diagrams Cartan subalgebra Root system Weyl group Real form Complexification Split Lie algebra Compact Lie algebra
Representation theory Lie group representation Lie algebra representation Representation theory of semisimple Lie algebras Representations of classical Lie groups Theorem of the highest weight Borel–Weil–Bott theorem
Lie groups in physics Particle physics and representation theory Lorentz group representations Poincaré group representations Galilean group representations
Scientists Sophus Lie Henri Poincaré Wilhelm Killing Élie Cartan Hermann Weyl Claude Chevalley Harish-Chandra Armand Borel
Glossary Table of Lie groups
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In mathematics, a Lie algebra ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {g}}}$ is solvable if its derived series terminates in the zero subalgebra. The derived Lie algebra of the Lie algebra ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {g}}}$ is the subalgebra of ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {g}}}$, denoted

${\displaystyle [{\mathfrak {g}},{\mathfrak {g}}]}$

that consists of all linear combinations of Lie brackets of pairs of elements of ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {g}}}$. The derived series is the sequence of subalgebras

${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {g}}\geq [{\mathfrak {g}},{\mathfrak {g}}]\geq [[{\mathfrak {g}},{\mathfrak {g}}],[{\mathfrak {g}},{\mathfrak {g}}]]\geq [[[{\mathfrak {g}},{\mathfrak {g}}],[{\mathfrak {g}},{\mathfrak {g}}]],[[{\mathfrak {g}},{\mathfrak {g}}],[{\mathfrak {g}},{\mathfrak {g}}]]]\geq ...}$

If the derived series eventually arrives at the zero subalgebra, then the Lie algebra is called solvable.^[1] The derived series for Lie algebras is analogous to the derived series for commutator subgroups in group theory, and solvable Lie algebras are analogs of solvable groups.

Any nilpotent Lie algebra is a fortiori solvable but the converse is not true. The solvable Lie algebras and the semisimple Lie algebras form two large and generally complementary classes, as is shown by the Levi decomposition. The solvable Lie algebras are precisely those that can be obtained from semidirect products, starting from 0 and adding one dimension at a time.^[2]

A maximal solvable subalgebra is called a Borel subalgebra. The largest solvable ideal of a Lie algebra is called the radical.