Generation of relative commutator subgroups in Chevalley groups. II

Abstract

AbstractIn the present paper, which is a direct sequel of our paper [14] joint with Roozbeh Hazrat, we prove an unrelativized version of the standard commutator formula in the setting of Chevalley groups. Namely, let Φ be a reduced irreducible root system of rank ≥ 2, let R be a commutative ring and let I,J be two ideals of R. We consider subgroups of the Chevalley group G(Φ, R) of type Φ over R. The unrelativized elementary subgroup E(Φ, I) of level I is generated (as a group) by the elementary unipotents xα(ξ), α ∈ Φ, ξ ∈ I, of level I. Obviously, in general, E(Φ, I) has no chance to be normal in E(Φ, R); its normal closure in the absolute elementary subgroup E(Φ, R) is denoted by E(Φ, R, I). The main results of [14] implied that the commutator [E(Φ, I), E(Φ, J)] is in fact normal in E(Φ, R). In the present paper we prove an unexpected result, that in fact [E(Φ, I), E(Φ, J)] = [E(Φ, R, I), E(Φ, R, J)]. It follows that the standard commutator formula also holds in the unrelativized form, namely [E(Φ, I), C(Φ, R, J)] = [E(Φ, I), E(Φ, J)], where C(Φ, R, I) is the full congruence subgroup of level I. In particular, E(Φ, I) is normal in C(Φ, R, I).