Questions tagged [lie-groups]
Lie Groups are Groups that are additionally smooth manifolds such that the multiplication and the inverse maps are smooth.
358 questions
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Homotopy groups of Lie groups
Several times I've heard the claim that any Lie group $G$ has trivial second fundamental group $\pi_2(G)$, but I have never actually come across a proof of this fact. Is there a nice argument, ...
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Classification of (compact) Lie groups
I would like to study/understand the (complete) classification of compact lie groups. I know there are a lot of books on this subject, but I'd like to hear what's the best route I can follow (in your ...
12
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1
answer
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How are Sheffer polynomials related to Lie theory?
Sheffer polynomials $\{P_n(x)\}$ have generating function $P(x,t) = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty}P_n(x)t^n=A(t)e^{xu(t)}$.
This form reminds me of the Lie group–Lie algebra correspondence. Is there any ...
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Example of a manifold which is not a homogeneous space of any Lie group
Every manifold that I ever met in a differential geometry class was a homogeneous space: spheres, tori, Grassmannians, flag manifolds, Stiefel manifolds, etc. What is an example of a connected smooth ...
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unitary irreps of O(p,q)
I am interested in the irreducible unitary representations of the orthogonal groups $O(p,q)$. By $O(p,q)$ I mean the real Lie groups which preserve the quadratic form of signature $(p,q)$ in $\mathbb{...
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In any Lie group with finitely many connected components, does there exist a finite subgroup which meets every component?
This question concerns a statement in a short paper by S. P. Wang titled “A note on free subgroups in linear groups" from 1981. The main result of this paper is the following theorem.
Theorem (Wang, ...
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Can we realize Weyl group as a subgroup?
Given a semisimple Lie group G, let T be a maximal torus, W be the Weyl group defined as the quotient N(T)/C(T), where N(T) denotes the normalizer of T and C(T) denotes the centralizer.
Two ...
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1
answer
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Irreducibility of root-height generating polynomial
The height $ht(\alpha)$ of a positive root $\alpha$ in a (finite, crystallographic) root system $\Phi$ is $\sum_{i=1}^n c_i$ where $\alpha = \sum_{i=1}^n c_i \alpha_i$ is its decomposition as a sum of ...
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2
answers
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If compact connected Lie groups are homeomorphic as topological space, are they isomorphic as Lie groups?
Let $G_{1}$ and $G_{2}$ be compact connected Lie groups.
If $G_{1}$ and $G_{2}$ are homeomorphic as topological spaces, are
they isomorphic as Lie groups?
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votes
3
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Left invariant metric on ${\rm SL}_n(\mathbb{R})$
I am looking for a left invariant metric on $SL_n(\mathbb{R})$. If this is not possible, it would be acceptable to have a metric on $SL_n(\mathbb{R})/SO_n(\mathbb{R})$ or something like that. Is there ...
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2
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A finiteness property for semi-simple algebraic groups
Let $G$ be a semi-simple algebraic group over a field $K$, I am considering a question about whether there exists a finite set of semi-simple $K$-subgroups, say $H_1,...,H_r$, such that for any semi-...
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What is the symbol of a differential operator?
I find Wikipedia's discussion of symbols of differential operators a bit impenetrable, and Google doesn't seem to turn up useful links, so I'm hoping someone can point me to a more pedantic discussion....
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Beautiful descriptions of exceptional groups
I'm curious about the beautiful descriptions of exceptional simple complex Lie groups and algebras (and maybe their compact forms). By beautiful I mean: simple (not complicated - it means that we need ...
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2
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Is there a good mathematical explanation for why orbital lengths in the periodic table are perfect squares doubled?
$\DeclareMathOperator\SO{SO}\newcommand{\R}{\mathbb{R}}\newcommand{\S}{\mathbb{S}}$The periodic table of elements has row lengths $2, 8, 8, 18, 18, 32, \ldots $, i.e., perfect squares doubled. The ...
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What is the status of the Friedlander-Milnor conjecture today?
For the purposes of this question, the Friedlander-Milnor (FM) conjecture asserts an equality of the group homology for algebraic groups, and their discretizations in the following sense:
Conjecture ...
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1
answer
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Modern reference for maximal connected subgroups of compact Lie groups
What's the nicest place to see a list of the maximal connected subgroups of compact Lie groups? Is there anything on-line?
I looked at Tits' Bourbaki talk on Dynkin's and others' work, but he admits ...
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answer
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Weyl group actions on 0-weight spaces
For a complex simple Lie group G with a maximal torus T, we can take a highest-weight representation V of G and look at the 0-weight space, i.e. the subspace of V of elements invariant under T. This ...
- 301
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3
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What is the outer automorphism group of SU(n)?
All the automorphisms of $SU(2)$ seem to be inner, which would mean that $\mathrm{Out}$ $SU(2)$ is trivial. Is that correct? Is this true in general $SU(n)$? I can't quite see -- any thoughts would be ...
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Exotic smooth structures on Lie groups?
If a topological group $G$ is also a topological manifold, it is well-known (Hilbert's 5th Probelm) that there is a unique analytic structure making it a Lie group.
However, for a compact Lie group $...
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Fundamental group of Lie groups
Let $T$ be a torus $V/\Gamma$, $\gamma$ a loop on $T$ based at the origin. Then it is easy to see that $$2 \gamma = \gamma \ast \gamma \in \pi_1(T).$$
Here $2 \gamma$ is obtained by rescaling $\gamma$...
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Nearby homomorphisms from compact Lie groups are conjugate
I'm looking for a proof (that I can understand) of the following fact: If $K$ and $G$ are Lie groups, and $K$ is compact, then nearby homomorphisms $K\to G$ are conjugate.
That is, if $\mathrm{Hom}(...
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A decomposition of the "spin representation" of SL(2)
Let us take an N-dimensional (N odd) irreducible representation V of SL(2,R).
It is known that (e.g., Lie groups and Lie algebras III by Vinberg and Onischik, 1994 p. 94) in V there is an invariant ...
- 1,765
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4
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Quotient space of $\mathbb{C}^5$ under the action of $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$
One sees that given the $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$ action on $\mathbb{C}^5$, thought of as the space of polynomials of the form,
$$a_0 x^4 + 4a_1 x^3 y + 6a_2x^2y^2 + 4a_3xy^3 + a_4 y^4$$
the ring of ...
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A few questions about $E_6$ and its symmetric spaces
Preface
The purpose of my question - on high level - is to understand exceptional symmetric spaces. My latest idea is to embed them into Lie group. There is quite nice embedding of 32-dimensional $E_{...
user21230
6
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0
answers
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Exceptional symmetric spaces embedded in exceptional Lie group
In Yokota (1959) and Atsuyama (1977) papers one can find embedding of projective space $\mathbb OP^2$ into Lie group $F_4$. Lately I come to following idea to have embedding of all four projective ...
user21230
4
votes
1
answer
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About the conjugation of semi-simple subgroups
Let $G$ be a semi-simple algebraic group over $\mathbb{Q}$, I would like to find an integer $d>0$ only depending on $G$ with the following property. For any two semi-simple $\mathbb{Q}$-subgroups $...
- 199
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1
answer
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Faithful finite-dimensional unitary representations
Is there any characterization of the non-compact connected Lie groups that possess faithful finite-dimensional unitary representations?
106
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3
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Has the Lie group E8 really been detected experimentally?
A few months ago there were several math talks about how the Lie group E8 had been detected in some physics experiment. I recently looked up the original paper where this was announced,
"Quantum ...
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votes
8
answers
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Why the Killing form?
I'm teaching a short summer course on algebraic groups and it's time to talk about the Killing form on the Lie algebra. The students are all undergrads of varying levels of inexperience, and I try to ...
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9
answers
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Is every finite-dimensional Lie algebra the Lie algebra of an algebraic group?
Harold Williams, Pablo Solis, and I were chatting and the following question came up.
In Lie group land (where you're doing differential geometry), given a finite-dimensional Lie algebra g, you can ...
38
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18
answers
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Learning about Lie groups
Can someone suggest a good book for teaching myself about Lie groups? I study algebraic geometry and commutative algebra, and I like lots of examples. Thanks.
33
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3
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When is a finite dimensional real or complex Lie Group not a matrix group
I have a smattering of knowledge and disconnected facts about this question, so I would like to clarify the following discussion, and I also seek references and citations supporting this knowledge. ...
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Triality of Spin(8)
Among simple Lie groups, $Spin(8)$ is the most symmetrical one in the sense that $Out(Spin(8))$ is the largest possible group. A description of this outer automorphism groups is as follows. $Spin(8)$ ...
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Real Lie groups versus real linear algebraic groups: differences in connexity and fundamental group
There are many introductory texts on real Lie groups, and many on linear algebraic groups in general, but fewer on the specific case of linear algebraic groups over the reals, and even fewer that try ...
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How bad can $\pi_1$ of a linear group orbit be?
Let $G$ be a simply connected Lie group and $\mathcal O= G(v)=G/G_v$ a $G$-orbit in some finite-dimensional $G$-module $V$. By the homotopy exact sequence, its fundamental group $\Gamma$ is the ...
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cohomology of BG, G compact Lie group
It has been stated in several papers that $H^{odd}(BG,\mathbb{R})=0$ for compact Lie group
$G$. However, I've still not found a proof of this. I believe that the proof is as follows:
--> $G$ compact ...
- 1,709
22
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6
answers
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Automorphism group of real orthogonal Lie groups
I would like to understand what is the "outer-automorphism group" $Out$ of $SO(p,q)$ and $O(p,q)$, where $p+q >0$ and $pq \neq 0$. My working definition of $Out$ is as follows:
Let us denote by $...
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1
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Word maps on compact Lie groups
Let $w=w(a,b)$ be a non-trivial word in the free group $F_2 = \langle a,b \rangle$ and $w_G \colon G \times G \to G$ be the induced word map for some compact Lie group $G$.
Murray Gerstenhaber and ...
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The first unstable homotopy group of $Sp(n)$
Thanks to the fibrations
\begin{align*}
SO(n) \to SO(n+1) &\to S^n\\
SU(n) \to SU(n+1) &\to S^{2n+1}\\
Sp(n) \to Sp(n+1) &\to S^{4n+3}
\end{align*}
we know that
\begin{align*}
\pi_i(SO(...
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Curvature of a Lie group
Since a lie group is a manifold with the structure of a continuous group, then each point of the manifold [Edit: provided we fix a metric, for example an invariant or bi-invariant one] has some scalar ...
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Is there an analogue of the hive model for Littlewood-Richardson coefficients of types $B$, $C$ and $D$?
If $V_\lambda$, $V_\mu$ and $V_\nu$ are irreducible representations of $\operatorname{GL}_n$, the Littlewood-Richardson coefficient $c_{\lambda\mu}^\nu$ denotes the multiplicity of $V_\nu$ in the ...
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Why do flag manifolds, in the P(V_rho) embedding, look like products of P^1s?
Bert Kostant mentioned an odd fact to me some time ago. As usual (with such statements), fix a
complex, connected, reductive) Lie group $G$, with maximal torus $T$, and Weyl vector $\rho$ equal to ...
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Does every irreducible representation of a compact group occur in tensor products of a faithful representation and its dual?
(Previously posted on math.SE with no answers.)
Let $G$ be a compact Lie group and $V$ a faithful (complex, continuous, finite-dimensional) representation of it. Is it true that every (complex, ...
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Is there a formula for the Frobenius-Schur indicator of a rep of a Lie group?
Let $G$ be a simple algebraic group group over $\mathbb C$.
Let $V$ be a self-dual representation of $G$.
Let $\lambda$ be the highest weight of $V$.
Write $\lambda$ as a sum of fundamental weights: $...
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Which groups have only real and quaternionic irreducible representations?
Consider a continuous irreducible representation of a compact Lie group on a finite-dimensional complex Hilbert space. There are three mutually exclusive options:
1) it's not isomorphic to its dual (...
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In a compact lie group, can two closed connected subgroups generate a non-closed subgroup?
Let $H$,$K$ be closed connected subgroups of a compact Lie group $G$. Let $L:=\langle H,K \rangle$ be the subgroup they generate, ie, the smallest subgroup of $G$ containing them both. Must $L$ be ...
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Differences in philosophy between Lie Groups and Differential Galois Theory
As far as I have heard,Sophus Lie's aim was to construct an analogue of galois theory for differential galois theory. I am familiar with lie group but not with differential galois theory. What is the ...
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Lie Groups and Manifolds
I'm trying to get a better handle on the relation between Lie groups and the Manifolds they correspond to. Firstly, is the relationship injective? that is, does each Lie group correspond to a unique ...
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Definitions of Reductive and Semisimple Groups
I'm a graduate student. I've been reading Knapp's two books Representation Theory of Semisimple Groups and Lie Groups Beyond an Introduction. He seems to give wildly different definitions for the ...
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Are maximal compact subgroups of connected groups connected?
Assume $G$ is a connected locally compact group and $M$ is a maximal compact subgroup of $G$. Is $M$ connected too?
user23860