Adjoint Vector Fields and Differential Operators on Representation Spaces

Let G be a semisimple algebraic group with Lie algebra g. In 1979, J. Dixmier proved that any vector field annihilating all G-invariant polynomials on g lies in the k[g]module generated by the ”adjoint vector fields”, i.e., vector fields ς of the form ς(y)(x) = [x, y], x, y ∈ g. A substantial generalisation of Dixmier’s theorem was found by Levasseur and Stafford. They explicitly described the centraliser of k[g] in the algebra of differential operators on g. On the level of vector fields, their result reduces to Dixmier’s theorem. The purpose of this paper is to explore similar problems in the general context of affine algebraic groups and their rational representations.