Algebraic Geometry Seminar: Vladimir Chernousov (UA)

One of the central theorems of classical Lie theory is that all split Cartan subalgebras of a finite dimensional simple Lie algebra over an algebraically closed field are conjugate.This result, due to Chevalley, yields the most elegant proof that the type of the root system of a simple Lie algebra is its invariant. In infinite dimensional Lie theory maximal abelian diagonalizable subalgebras (MADs) play the role of Cartan subalgebras in the classical theory. In the talk we address the problem of conjugacy of MADs in a big class of Lie algebras which are known in the literature as extended affine Lie algebras (EALA). To attack this problem we develop a bridge which connects the world of MADs in infinite dimensional Lie algebras and the world of torsors over Laurent polynomial rings.