ConceptComplete

Examples and Mackey Theory

Concrete examples of induction and Mackey's formula reveal the structure of induced representations when restricted back to subgroups.

ExampleRegular Representation via Induction

The regular representation of GG is obtained by inducing the trivial representation from the trivial subgroup: F[G]=Ind{e}G(F)\mathbb{F}[G] = \text{Ind}_{\{e\}}^G(\mathbb{F})

This shows the regular representation decomposes as: F[G]≅⨁VΒ irreducibleVβŠ•dim⁑V\mathbb{F}[G] \cong \bigoplus_{V \text{ irreducible}} V^{\oplus \dim V}

ExamplePermutation Representations

Let GG act transitively on a set XX, and let H=Stab(x)H = \text{Stab}(x) be the stabilizer of a point. Then the permutation representation F[X]\mathbb{F}[X] is isomorphic to: F[X]β‰…IndHG(F)\mathbb{F}[X] \cong \text{Ind}_H^G(\mathbb{F}) where F\mathbb{F} is the trivial representation of HH.

For SnS_n acting on nn points: IndSnβˆ’1Sn(F)β‰…Fn\text{Ind}_{S_{n-1}}^{S_n}(\mathbb{F}) \cong \mathbb{F}^n with the standard permutation action.

TheoremMackey's Decomposition Formula

Let H,K≀GH, K \leq G be subgroups, and let WW be a representation of HH. Choose double coset representatives g1,…,gmg_1, \ldots, g_m for H\G/KH \backslash G / K (so G=⨆i=1mHgiKG = \bigsqcup_{i=1}^m H g_i K). Then: ResKG(IndHG(W))≅⨁i=1mIndK∩giHgiβˆ’1K(ResgiHgiβˆ’1K∩giHgiβˆ’1(giW))\text{Res}_K^G(\text{Ind}_H^G(W)) \cong \bigoplus_{i=1}^m \text{Ind}_{K \cap g_i H g_i^{-1}}^K(\text{Res}_{g_i H g_i^{-1}}^{K \cap g_i H g_i^{-1}}({}^{g_i}W)) where giW{}^{g_i}W denotes the conjugated representation: giW{}^{g_i}W has the same underlying space as WW but with action ρgiW(k)=ρW(giβˆ’1kgi)\rho_{{}^{g_i}W}(k) = \rho_W(g_i^{-1} k g_i).

This formula describes what happens when we induce from HH to GG, then restrict to KK: the result decomposes according to double cosets and involves intersections of conjugate subgroups.

ExampleMackey Formula for $S_3$

Let H=K=⟨(12)⟩H = K = \langle (12) \rangle (a subgroup of order 2 in S3S_3). The double cosets H\S3/KH \backslash S_3 / K are:

  • Hβ‹…eβ‹…K=HH \cdot e \cdot K = H
  • Hβ‹…(23)β‹…KH \cdot (23) \cdot K (distinct double coset)

For W=CW = \mathbb{C} (trivial representation of HH): ResKS3(IndHS3(C))β‰…IndKK(C)βŠ•IndK∩(23)H(23)βˆ’1K(something)\text{Res}_K^{S_3}(\text{Ind}_H^{S_3}(\mathbb{C})) \cong \text{Ind}_{K}^K(\mathbb{C}) \oplus \text{Ind}_{K \cap (23)H(23)^{-1}}^K(\text{something})

The first term is just C\mathbb{C}, and computing the second term involves the intersection K∩⟨(13)⟩={e}K \cap \langle (13) \rangle = \{e\}.

Remark

Mackey's formula is fundamental in:

  • Subgroup restriction: Understanding how representations behave under restriction
  • Classification of representations: Determining when induced representations are irreducible
  • Modular representation theory: Analyzing decomposition numbers
  • Geometric representation theory: Computing stalks of perverse sheaves

The formula reveals that induction and restriction are not simply inverse operationsβ€”their composition has rich structure governed by double coset decompositions.