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Injective group homomorphism on $\frac{Spin(4k+2)\times U(1)}{\mathbf{Z}/2}$ or $\frac{Spin(4k+2)\times U(1)}{\mathbf{Z}/4}\to U(2^{2k})$

$\DeclareMathOperator\Spin{Spin}\DeclareMathOperator\SU{SU}\DeclareMathOperator\U{U}\DeclareMathOperator\SL{SL}\DeclareMathOperator\SO{SO}$From Pierre Deligne's Notes on spinors, we can see that there ...
Марина Marina S's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
84 views

Weights of finite abelian group actions on submanifolds/subvarieties

(cross-posted from https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/4125529/weights-of-finite-abelian-group-actions-on-submanifolds-subvarieties) How do weights associated to actions of finite subgroups of $\...
modnar's user avatar
  • 521
34 votes
4 answers
5k views

Mathematical uses of string theory

It is widely believed that correctness of string theory as a physical theory will not be decided in the near future. Regardless whether this will turn out to be correct or not, mathematical concepts ...
7 votes
2 answers
838 views

Transitive embedding of the projective plane $\Bbb R P^2$ into the $4$-sphere

Is there an embedding (i.e. injective continuous map) $$\phi:\Bbb R \Bbb P^2\hookrightarrow S^4\subseteq\Bbb R^5$$ of the projective plane $\Bbb R\Bbb P^2$ into the $4$-sphere, that is ...
M. Winter's user avatar
  • 13.6k
22 votes
1 answer
720 views

Does $E_8$ know $Spin(7)$?

One way to define the compact group $Spin(7)$ is as the stabilizer of a certain 4-form on Euclidean $\mathbb R^8$ (see e.g. this MO question). This 4-form can be defined in various ways. For example,...
Theo Johnson-Freyd's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
295 views

Unipotent representations of SL(2,R) by quantization

I'm a PhD student in mathematical physics and I happen to need some elements of Kirillov's "orbit method" for producing representations of Lie groups. I'm familiar with symplectic geometry, geometric ...
Blagoje Oblak's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
608 views

Para-Complexification of Lie Groups

Let $G$ be a real Lie group. Then the complexification $G_\mathbb{C}$ of $G$ is the unique complex Lie group equipped with a map $φ:G\to G_\mathbb{C}$ such that any map $G\to H$ where $H$ is a ...
user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
1k views

Regarding Cayley Graphs of Property (T) Groups

A well-known application of Kazhdan's Property (T) is the construction of expander graphs. Background on this is discussed, for example, in this post on Terry Tao's blog. Essentially, Cayley graphs of ...
Jon Bannon's user avatar
  • 7,067
7 votes
2 answers
3k views

Why SU(3) is not equal to SO(5)?

I am asking in the sense of isometry groups of a manifold. SU(3) is the group of isometries of CP2, and SO(5) is the group of isometries of the 4-sphere. Now, it happens that both manifolds are ...
arivero's user avatar
  • 437
29 votes
7 answers
8k views

Topology of SU(3)

$U(1)$ is diffeomorphic to $S^1$ and $SU(2)$ is to $S^3$, but apparently it is not true that $SU(3)$ is diffeomorphic to $S^8$ (more bellow). Since $SU(3)$ appears in the standard model I would like ...
R.S.'s user avatar
  • 641
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

Classification of discrete subgroups of the unitary group

Let $U(n)$ be the unitary group. From André Weil's paper "On discrete subgroups of Lie groups" it is well known that discrete cocompact subgroups of $U(n)$ have only a finite number of generators and ...
muns137's user avatar
  • 121
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Action of $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$ on representations of $SU(2)$

I want to precisely understand in what sense is (if it is!) $SL(2,\mathbb{C})$ the "complexified" version of $SU(2)$? Can I think of it like choosing a natural matrix basis of the real three ...
Anirbit's user avatar
  • 3,541
7 votes
3 answers
2k views

Which Riemannian manifolds admit a finite dimensional transitive Lie group action?

This is a basically an adjusted version of my earlier question about how to define a convolution algebra on a general Riemannian manifold. The motivation for asking such a question of course comes ...
Mikola's user avatar
  • 2,392