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MSc Examination
7CCMMS01 (CMMS01) Lie groups and Lie algebras
Summer 2010
Time Allowed: Two Hours
This paper consists of two sections, Section A and Section B.
Section A contributes half the total marks for the paper.
Answer all questions in Section A.
All questions in Section B carry equal marks, but if more than two are
attempted, then only the best two will count.
NO calculators are permitted.
TURN OVER WHEN INSTRUCTED
2010 c Kings College London
- 2 - 7CCMMS01 (CMMS01)
A1. 20 points
(i) Dene: a) group homomorphism, b) group isomorphism, and c) group
automorphism.
(ii) Show that the set of automorphisms of any group G is itself a group
under the operation of composition. This is the automorphism group of
G, Aut(G).
(iii) State the denition of the property simple of a Lie algebra. Show that
if g is simple, then [gg] = g.
(iv) Let L be a Lie algebra and let x L be a xed element of L. Prove that
the subspace of L spanned by the eigenvectors of ad x is a Lie subalgebra.
A2. 15 points
(i) State the denition of a matrix Lie group.
(ii) Show that the set of matrices U(n) = {A Mat(n; C) | A

A = 1} is
a matrix Lie group for any positive integer n (dont forget to show, in
particular, that it is a group).
(iii) Is U(n) compact? Is it connected? Prove one of those two claims. Hint:
recall that any unitary matrix has an orthonormal basis of eigenvectors.
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- 3 - 7CCMMS01 (CMMS01)
A3. 15 points
(i) State the denition of the Lie algebra g associated to a matrix Lie group
G.
(ii) The group SO(3) is the group of all 3 3 orthogonal matrices. Using the
denition you stated in (i), show that the Lie algebra of SO(3) is
so(3) = {A Mat(3; C) : A
T
= A},
i.e. it is the set of all 3 3 anti-symmetric matrices (you can use without
proof the properties of the exponential).
(iii) Consider so(3; C) (this is the complexication of so(3) the algebra that
we get from so(3), but as a vector space over the complex numbers). Let
h so(3; C) be the subalgebra
h =
_
_
_
_
_
0 a 0
a 0 0
0 0 0
_
_
, a C
_
_
_
.
Given that h is a Cartan subalgebra of so(3; C), nd the roots and the
corresponding root space decomposition.
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- 4 - 7CCMMS01 (CMMS01)
B4. Consider the matrix Lie group SL(2; R) of real 2 2 matrices of determinant
one, and its Lie algebra
sl(2; R) = {X Mat(2; R) | Tr(X) = 0}.
(i) Show that SL(2; R) is a normal subgroup of GL(2; R) (in particular, it
is a subgroup). Knowing that the determinant is a surjective Lie group
homomorphism det : GL(2; R) G for some Lie group G, describe G
and show that SL(2; R) = ker det. Describe the quotient group H =
GL(2; R)/SL(2; R), and its relation to G. Show that an appropriate semi-
direct product H SL(2; R) is isomorphic to GL(2; R).
(ii) Show that the image of the exponential mapping exp : sl(2; R) SL(2; R)
is a subset of T = {A SL(2; R) : Tr(A) 2}. Hint: analyse the eigen-
values (the roots of the characteristic polynomial), assume that they are
dierent so that the matrix in sl(2; R) can be diagonalised, and get to the
non-diagonalisable cases by discussing the limit towards equal eigenvalues.
(iii) Describe SL(2; R) as a subset of R
3
(recall that the matrices have 4 pa-
rameters with one constraint), and from this argue that it is connected.
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- 5 - 7CCMMS01 (CMMS01)
B5. (i) The Baker-Campbell-Hausdor (BCH) formula tells us that if X and Y
are two elements of the Lie algebra associated to the matrix Lie group G,
then log(e
X
e
Y
) can be expressed purely in terms of multiple commutators
of X and Y . Using this, explain in words (with simple formulas) how a
representation of a Lie algebra may give rise to a representation of a Lie
group.
(ii) Show that the BCH formula
log(e
X
e
Y
) = X +
_
1
0
dt
log(e
ad X
e
tad Y
)
1 (e
ad X
e
tad Y
)
1
(Y )
reduces to
log(e
X
e
Y
) = X +Y +
1
2
[X, Y ]
in the case where [X, Y ] commutes with both X and Y .
(iii) Consider an algebra H over C with basis elements a
n
: n Z {0} and
c, and with bilinear bracket dened by the relations
[cc] = [ca
n
] = [a
n
c] = 0, [a
m
a
n
] =
1
m

m+n,0
c m, n Z {0}.
Consider the linear combinations

+
(z) =

n>0
a
n
z
n
,

(z) =

n<0
a
n
z
n
where z C. For |z
2
| < |z
1
|, show that
[
+
(z
1
)

(z
2
)] = log(1 z
2
/z
1
)c
and hence commutes with both
+
(z
1
) and

(z
2
). Using this result and
the simplied formula displayed in (ii), show that
e
i
+
(z
1
)
e
i

(z
2
)
= e
i(
+
(z
1
)+

(z
2
))
_
1
z
2
z
1
_
2
2
c
.
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- 6 - 7CCMMS01 (CMMS01)
B6. Consider a Lie algebra g over C with Lie bracket denoted by []. A central
extension g of g by C is a new Lie algebra g = g CC (as a vector space),
where C is a central element, and with Lie bracket {} otherwise dened by
{XY } = [XY ] +X, Y C X, Y g g
for some bilinear form , : g g C.
(i) Show that in order for g to be a Lie algebra, X, Y must be anti-symmetric,
and it must satisfy
[XY ], Z +[Y Z], X +[ZX], Y = 0.
(ii) Consider : g g such that (X) = X + a(X)C for all X g, where
a : g C is linear. Show that is a homomorphism if and only if
a([XY ]) = X, Y X, Y g.
(iii) Consider the Killing form : g g C. A non-trivial fact is that if
D GL(g; C) is a derivation, then (X, D(Y )) = (Y, D(X)) for all
X, Y g. Using this fact and other properties of the Killing form seen in
the lectures, show that X, Y = (X, D(Y )) denes an anti-symmmetric
bilinear form which satises the equation displayed in (i). Show that if g
is semi-simple and if we dene g using X, Y = (X, D(Y )), then there
exists a homomorphism as in (ii) (that is, nd the function a(X)). Hint:
for g semi-simple, any derivation is of the form D = ad Z for some Z g.
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