Reflection group

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In group theory and geometry, a reflection group is a discrete group which is generated by a set of reflections of a finite-dimensional Euclidean space. The symmetry group of a regular polytope or of a tiling of the Euclidean space by congruent copies of a regular polytope is necessarily a reflection group. Reflection groups also include Weyl groups and crystallographic Coxeter groups. While the orthogonal group is generated by reflections (by the Cartan–Dieudonné theorem), it is a continuous group (indeed, Lie group), not a discrete group, and is generally considered separately.

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Definition

Let E be a finite-dimensional Euclidean space. A finite reflection group is a subgroup of the general linear group of E which is generated by a set of orthogonal reflections across hyperplanes passing through the origin. An affine reflection group is a discrete subgroup of the affine group of E that is generated by a set of affine reflections of E (without the requirement that the reflection hyperplanes pass through the origin).

The corresponding notions can be defined over other fields, leading to complex reflection groups and analogues of reflection groups over a finite field.

Examples

Plane

In two dimensions, the finite reflection groups are the dihedral groups, which are generated by reflection in two lines that form an angle of and correspond to the Coxeter diagram Conversely, the cyclic point groups in two dimensions are not generated by reflections, nor contain any – they are subgroups of index 2 of a dihedral group.

Infinite reflection groups include the frieze groups and and the wallpaper groups , , , and . If the angle between two lines is an irrational multiple of pi, the group generated by reflections in these lines is infinite and non-discrete, hence, it is not a reflection group.

Space

Finite reflection groups are the point groups Cnv, Dnh, and the symmetry groups of the five Platonic solids. Dual regular polyhedra (cube and octahedron, as well as dodecahedron and icosahedron) give rise to isomorphic symmetry groups. The classification of finite reflection groups of R3 is an instance of the ADE classification.

Relation with Coxeter groups

A reflection group W admits a presentation of a special kind discovered and studied by H. S. M. Coxeter. [1] The reflections in the faces of a fixed fundamental "chamber" are generators ri of W of order 2. All relations between them formally follow from the relations

expressing the fact that the product of the reflections ri and rj in two hyperplanes Hi and Hj meeting at an angle is a rotation by the angle fixing the subspace Hi  Hj of codimension 2. Thus, viewed as an abstract group, every reflection group is a Coxeter group.

Finite fields

When working over finite fields, one defines a "reflection" as a map that fixes a hyperplane. Geometrically, this amounts to including shears in a hyperplane. Reflection groups over finite fields of characteristic not 2 were classified by Zalesskiĭ & Serežkin (1981).

Generalizations

Discrete isometry groups of more general Riemannian manifolds generated by reflections have also been considered. The most important class arises from Riemannian symmetric spaces of rank 1: the n-sphere Sn, corresponding to finite reflection groups, the Euclidean space Rn, corresponding to affine reflection groups, and the hyperbolic space Hn, where the corresponding groups are called hyperbolic reflection groups. In two dimensions, triangle groups include reflection groups of all three kinds.

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symmetry group</span> Group of transformations under which the object is invariant

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dihedral group</span> Group of symmetries of a regular polygon

In mathematics, a dihedral group is the group of symmetries of a regular polygon, which includes rotations and reflections. Dihedral groups are among the simplest examples of finite groups, and they play an important role in group theory, geometry, and chemistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dicyclic group</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orthogonal group</span> Type of group in mathematics

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reflection (mathematics)</span> Mapping from a Euclidean space to itself

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weyl group</span> Subgroup of a root systems isometry group

In mathematics, in particular the theory of Lie algebras, the Weyl group of a root system Φ is a subgroup of the isometry group of that root system. Specifically, it is the subgroup which is generated by reflections through the hyperplanes orthogonal to the roots, and as such is a finite reflection group. In fact it turns out that most finite reflection groups are Weyl groups. Abstractly, Weyl groups are finite Coxeter groups, and are important examples of these.

In mathematics, a Coxeter group, named after H. S. M. Coxeter, is an abstract group that admits a formal description in terms of reflections. Indeed, the finite Coxeter groups are precisely the finite Euclidean reflection groups; for example, the symmetry group of each regular polyhedron is a finite Coxeter group. However, not all Coxeter groups are finite, and not all can be described in terms of symmetries and Euclidean reflections. Coxeter groups were introduced in 1934 as abstractions of reflection groups, and finite Coxeter groups were classified in 1935.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euclidean group</span> Isometry group of Euclidean space

In mathematics, a Euclidean group is the group of (Euclidean) isometries of a Euclidean space ; that is, the transformations of that space that preserve the Euclidean distance between any two points (also called Euclidean transformations). The group depends only on the dimension n of the space, and is commonly denoted E(n) or ISO(n).

In the mathematical area of group theory, Artin groups, also known as Artin–Tits groups or generalized braid groups, are a family of infinite discrete groups defined by simple presentations. They are closely related with Coxeter groups. Examples are free groups, free abelian groups, braid groups, and right-angled Artin–Tits groups, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schwarz triangle</span> Spherical triangle that can be used to tile a sphere

In geometry, a Schwarz triangle, named after Hermann Schwarz, is a spherical triangle that can be used to tile a sphere, possibly overlapping, through reflections in its edges. They were classified in Schwarz (1873).

In mathematics, a triangle group is a group that can be realized geometrically by sequences of reflections across the sides of a triangle. The triangle can be an ordinary Euclidean triangle, a triangle on the sphere, or a hyperbolic triangle. Each triangle group is the symmetry group of a tiling of the Euclidean plane, the sphere, or the hyperbolic plane by congruent triangles called Möbius triangles, each one a fundamental domain for the action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coxeter–Dynkin diagram</span> Pictorial representation of symmetry

In geometry, a Coxeter–Dynkin diagram is a graph with numerically labeled edges representing a Coxeter group or sometimes a uniform polytope constructed from the group.

In mathematics, a complex reflection group is a finite group acting on a finite-dimensional complex vector space that is generated by complex reflections: non-trivial elements that fix a complex hyperplane pointwise.

In the theory of Riemann surfaces and hyperbolic geometry, the triangle group (2,3,7) is particularly important for its connection to Hurwitz surfaces, namely Riemann surfaces of genus g with the largest possible order, 84(g − 1), of its automorphism group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coxeter notation</span> Classification system for symmetry groups in geometry

In geometry, Coxeter notation is a system of classifying symmetry groups, describing the angles between fundamental reflections of a Coxeter group in a bracketed notation expressing the structure of a Coxeter-Dynkin diagram, with modifiers to indicate certain subgroups. The notation is named after H. S. M. Coxeter, and has been more comprehensively defined by Norman Johnson.

In mathematics, the Coxeter complex, named after H. S. M. Coxeter, is a geometrical structure associated to a Coxeter group. Coxeter complexes are the basic objects that allow the construction of buildings; they form the apartments of a building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Affine symmetric group</span> Mathematical structure

The affine symmetric groups are a family of mathematical structures that describe the symmetries of the number line and the regular triangular tiling of the plane, as well as related higher-dimensional objects. In addition to this geometric description, the affine symmetric groups may be defined in other ways: as collections of permutations (rearrangements) of the integers that are periodic in a certain sense, or in purely algebraic terms as a group with certain generators and relations. They are studied in combinatorics and representation theory.

In the mathematical theory of reflection groups, a parabolic subgroup is a special kind of subgroup. The precise definition of which subgroups are parabolic depends on context—for example, whether one is discussing general Coxeter groups or complex reflection groups—but in all cases the collection of parabolic subgroups exhibits important good behaviors, and the different definitions essentially coincide in the case of finite real reflection groups. For example, the parabolic subgroups of a reflection group have a natural indexing set and form a lattice when ordered by inclusion. Parabolic subgroups arise in the theory of algebraic groups, through their connection with Weyl groups.

References

Notes

Bibliography

  • Coxeter, H.S.M. (1934), "Discrete groups generated by reflections", Ann. of Math., 35 (3): 588–621, CiteSeerX   10.1.1.128.471 , doi:10.2307/1968753, JSTOR   1968753
  • Coxeter, H.S.M. (1935), "The complete enumeration of finite groups of the form ", J. London Math. Soc., 10: 21–25, doi:10.1112/jlms/s1-10.37.21
  • Goodman, Roe (April 2004), "The Mathematics of Mirrors and Kaleidoscopes" (PDF), American Mathematical Monthly , 111 (4): 281–298, CiteSeerX   10.1.1.127.6227 , doi:10.2307/4145238, JSTOR   4145238
  • Zalesskiĭ, Aleksandr E.; Serežkin, V N (1981), "Finite Linear Groups Generated by Reflections", Math. USSR Izv., 17 (3): 477–503, Bibcode:1981IzMat..17..477Z, doi:10.1070/IM1981v017n03ABEH001369

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