Questions tagged [lie-groups]

A Lie group is a group (in the sense of abstract algebra) that is also a differentiable manifold, such that the group operations (addition and inversion) are smooth, and so we can study them with differential calculus. They are a special type of topological group.

Consider using with the (group-theory) tag.

Lie groups are groups that are also differentiable manifolds that represent the best developed theory of continuous symmetry of mathematical objects.

Examples of lie groups are:

1) The Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^n$ under addition is a lie group.

2) The special orthogonal group of real orthogonal matrices with determinant $1$ (note that $n=3$ is the rotation group in $\mathbb{R}^3$).

3) The spin group, which is the double cover of the special orthogonal group such that $\exists$ a sequence of lie groups:

\begin{equation*} 1\to Z_2\to~\text{Spin}(n)\to SO(n)\to 1. \end{equation*}

Note that it has dimension $\frac{n(n-1)}{2}.$

7686 questions
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Motivating the Heisenberg group using the 3-sphere in $\mathbb C^2$

Someone recently gave me the following way to view the Heisenberg group, but I have forgotten some of the details. Here is what I remember: Take $S^3 \subset \mathbb R^4$. Every point $x \in S^3$ has a normal vector $n_x \in \mathbb R^4$, and we…
Alan C
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Closed subgroup of a semisimple Lie group

If $H\subset{G}$ is a topologically closed subgroup of a compact, connected and semisimple Lie group G, then is $H$ also semisimple? If yes, I need some references where this is stated.
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Is the exponential map $\exp: \mathfrak{so}(3) \rightarrow \textrm{SO}(3)$ injective?

Is the exponential map $\exp: \mathfrak{so}(3) \rightarrow \textrm{SO}(3)$ injective? How about the case $n>3$?
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Definition of Lie group

Why Lie group can be saw as a disjoint union of finitely many differentiable manifolds ?
Enhao Lan
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Adjoint representation of exponential on Lie group

Let $G$ be a Lie group and $g$ its Lie algebra. We denote by $\exp{X}$ the exponential map for an element $X \in g$ and by $\mbox{Ad}$ the adjoint representation of $G$ on $g$ and $\mbox{ad}$. Let $m \subset g$ be a subspace that is invariant under…
Niklas
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The normalizer of a torus is a closed subgroup of the Lie group

Let $G$ be a Lie group and $T \subset G$ a torus, show that $N(T)$ is a closed subgroup of $G$. Could somebody give a sketch of the proof?
PhysicsMath
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What are the orbits of a irreducible $m$ dimensional representation of SO(3)

Chose e.g. $e_1 = (1,0,0,...,0)$. What does the set $\{D^m(g)e_1, g \in SO(3) \}$ look like? ($D^m$ is an m-dimensional irrep of SO(3), $m$ > 3)
alain
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A noncompact Lie group need not have any nontrivial tori

I don't understand why the following statement is true. 'A noncompact Lie group need not have any nontrivial tori (e.g. $\mathbb{R}^n$). Taking $n=2$, we get $\mathbb{R}^2$. Now consider the set of all elements of modulus 1, that is, the unit circle…
Aran
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maximal torus by dimension count?

Suppose $T$ is a maximal torus of $G$ with dimension = $n$. If there is another torus $H \subset G$ of the same dimension, could I then conclude that $H$ is also a maximal torus? In other words once you know the dimension of a maximal torus you…
PhysicsMath
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Why is a Lie group homomorphism from $SO(3)$ to $SU(2)$ always trivial?

The Lie group $SU(2)$ is a double cover of $SO(3)$. $SU(2)$ is simply-connected as a manifold, and $SO(3)$ is $\mathbb{R}\mathbb{P}^3$. But why must a Lie group homomorphism from $SO(3)$ to $SU(2)$ be trivial? That is, the homomorphism carries any…
Crow
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One parameter subgroups of group of isometries of plane

I'm trying to work out what the one-parameter subgroups of the Lie group given by the set of isometries of the form $x \mapsto Ax + b$ are. I know that $A$ has to be orthogonal, but beyond there I'm pretty stuck. I know that if $\phi : \mathbb{R}…
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Dimensionality of indefinite Lie groups

The dimensionality of the indefinite orthogonal group $O(p, q)$ equals $n(n-1)/2$, where $n := p + q$. Is it similarly true that the dimensionality of all the indefinite Lie groups with signature $(p, q)$ depends only on $n := p + q$? For example,…
tparker
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Diffeomorphism between groups

I would like to prove that the map $$\phi :O_{n}\times H\rightarrow GL_{n}(\mathbb{R})$$ $$\phi(B,A)=BA$$ is a diffeomorphism, while $O_{n}$ is the orthogonal group and $H$ is the group of all upper triangular matrices, i.e I have to prove that…
letisya
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Can one speak of a threefold (or other) symmetry of SU(3) and the Gell-Mann matrices?

A torus has a rotation symmetry along the axis, a sphere has "spherical" symmetry under rigid motions; doesn't SU(3) also have a symmetry? The Gell-Mann matrices ( see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gell-Mann_matrices ), the generators of SU(3), have…
Tanja
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G-orbits have equal dimension on a neighborhood, so there exists a cross-section

I'm working right now with the book of Guillemin/Sternberg (Symplectic techniques in Physics) and there is one statement I can't prove right now. Namely: They assume, if we have a symplectic manifold $M$ and a Lie group $G$ acting on $M$ by…
Olorin
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