On Casimir elements of simple Lie algebras

In this letter, we recall briefly the generalized Casimir elements of a finite dimensional Lie algebra. We specify those of orders two and three: when the Lie algebra is simple (even semisimple), we begin by normalizing the former (the quadratic), and then we study some actions of the latter (the cubic). In particular, we introduce a graphical formalism, translating rigorously the tensorial calculus. This allows us to prove the main theorem in a graphic theoretic manner. (author). 11 refs, 1 tab