Using Beilinson–Bernstein localisation, we give another proof of Levasseur's theorem on the Krull dimension of the enveloping algebra of a complex semisimple Lie algebra. The proof also extends to the case of affinoid enveloping algebras.

Let $H$ be a torsion-free compact $p$-adic analytic group whose Lie algebra is split semisimple. We show that the quotient skewfield of fractions of the Iwasawa algebra $\varLambda_H$ of $H$ has trivial centre and use this result to classify the prime $c$-ideals in the Iwasawa algebra $\varLambda_G$ of $G:=H\times\mathbb{Z}_p$. We also show that a finitely generated torsion $\varLambda_G$-module having no non-zero pseudo-null submodule is completely faithful if and only if it is has no central torsion. This has an application to the study of Selmer groups of elliptic curves.

We study the prime ideal structure of the Iwasawa algebra $\Lambda_G$ of an almost simple compact $p$-adic Lie group $G$. When the Lie algebra of $G$ contains a copy of the two-dimensional non-abelian Lie algebra, we show that the prime ideal structure of $\Lambda_G$ is somewhat restricted. We also provide a potential example of a prime c-ideal of $\Lambda_G$ in the case when the Lie algebra of $G$ is ${\frak s}{\frak l}_2(\mathbb{Q}p)$.

Let $G$ be a compact $p$-adic analytic group and let $\Lambda_G$ be its completed group algebra with coefficient ring the $p$-adic integers $\mathbb{Z}_p$. We show that the augmentation ideal in $\Lambda_G$ of a closed normal subgroup $H$ of $G$ is localisable if and only if $H$ is finite-by-nilpotent, answering a question of Sujatha. The localisations are shown to be Auslander-regular rings with Krull and global dimensions equal to dim $H$. It is also shown that the minimal prime ideals and the prime radical of the $\mathbb{F}_p$-version $\Omega_G$ of $\Lambda_G$ are controlled by $\Omega_{\Delta^+}$, where $\Delta^+$ is the largest finite normal subgroup of $G$. Finally, we prove a conjecture of Ardakov and Brown [1].