Representations of Simple Lie Algebras: Modern Variations on a Classical Theme

Abstract

The basic structure and representation theory of finite-dimensional simple Lie algebras over \(\mathbb{C} \), as developed by W. Killing, E. Cartan and H. Weyl, is a well-known and frequently used branch of mathematics. It is a striking fact that very significant new results in this classical area of mathematics have come to light during the past decade. These new results have originated from the development of the theory of quantum groups. The purpose of this article is to survey briefly the classical results on the representation theory of simple Lie algebras and then to describe the recent developments primarily due to G. Lusztig, M. Kashiwara and P. Littelmann.