Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2018
Let L denote a semi-simple, finite dimensional Lie algebra over an algebraically closed field K of characteristic zero. If denotes a Cartan subalgebra of L and denotes the centralizer of in the universal enveloping algebra U of L, then it has been shown that each algebra homomorphism (called a "mass-function" on ) uniquely determines a linear irreducible representation of L. The technique involved in this construction is analogous to the Harish-Chandra construction [2] of dominated irreducible representations of L starting from a linear functional . The difference between the two results lies in the fact that all linear functionals on are readily obtained, whereas since is in general a noncommutative algebra the construction of mass-functions is decidedly nontrivial.