Table of Lie groups

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This article gives a table of some common Lie groups and their associated Lie algebras.

Contents

The following are noted: the topological properties of the group (dimension; connectedness; compactness; the nature of the fundamental group; and whether or not they are simply connected) as well as on their algebraic properties (abelian; simple; semisimple).

For more examples of Lie groups and other related topics see the list of simple Lie groups; the Bianchi classification of groups of up to three dimensions; see classification of low-dimensional real Lie algebras for up to four dimensions; and the list of Lie group topics.

Real Lie groups and their algebras

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Lie groupDescriptionCptUCRemarksLie algebradim/R
Rn Euclidean space with additionN00abelianRnn
R×nonzero real numbers with multiplicationNZ2abelianR1
R+ positive real numbers with multiplicationN00abelianR1
S1 = U(1)the circle group: complex numbers of absolute value 1 with multiplication;Y0ZRabelian, isomorphic to SO(2), Spin(2), and R/ZR1
Aff(1) invertible affine transformations from R to R.NZ2 solvable, semidirect product of R+ and R×2
H×non-zero quaternions with multiplicationN00H4
S3 = Sp(1) quaternions of absolute value 1 with multiplication; topologically a 3-sphere Y00isomorphic to SU(2) and to Spin(3); double cover of SO(3) Im(H)3
GL(n,R) general linear group: invertible n×n real matrices NZ2M(n,R)n2
GL+(n,R)n×n real matrices with positive determinant N0Z  n=2
Z2 n>2
GL+(1,R) is isomorphic to R+ and is simply connectedM(n,R)n2
SL(n,R) special linear group: real matrices with determinant 1N0Z  n=2
Z2 n>2
SL(1,R) is a single point and therefore compact and simply connectedsl(n,R)n21
SL(2,R) Orientation-preserving isometries of the Poincaré half-plane, isomorphic to SU(1,1), isomorphic to Sp(2,R).N0ZThe universal cover has no finite-dimensional faithful representations.sl(2,R)3
O(n) orthogonal group: real orthogonal matrices YZ2The symmetry group of the sphere (n=3) or hypersphere.so(n)n(n1)/2
SO(n) special orthogonal group: real orthogonal matrices with determinant 1Y0Z  n=2
Z2 n>2
Spin(n)
n>2
SO(1) is a single point and SO(2) is isomorphic to the circle group, SO(3) is the rotation group of the sphere.so(n)n(n1)/2
SE(n)special euclidean group: group of rigid body motions in n-dimensional space.N0se(n)n + n(n1)/2
Spin(n) spin group: double cover of SO(n)Y0 n>10 n>2Spin(1) is isomorphic to Z2 and not connected; Spin(2) is isomorphic to the circle group and not simply connectedso(n)n(n1)/2
Sp(2n,R) symplectic group: real symplectic matrices N0Zsp(2n,R)n(2n+1)
Sp(n) compact symplectic group: quaternionic n×n unitary matrices Y00sp(n)n(2n+1)
Mp(2n,R) metaplectic group: double cover of real symplectic group Sp(2n,R)Y0ZMp(2,R) is a Lie group that is not algebraic sp(2n,R)n(2n+1)
U(n) unitary group: complex n×n unitary matrices Y0ZR×SU(n)For n=1: isomorphic to S1. Note: this is not a complex Lie group/algebrau(n)n2
SU(n) special unitary group: complex n×n unitary matrices with determinant 1Y00Note: this is not a complex Lie group/algebrasu(n)n21

Real Lie algebras

Lie algebraDescriptionSimple? Semi-simple?Remarksdim/R
Rthe real numbers, the Lie bracket is zero1
Rnthe Lie bracket is zeron
R3the Lie bracket is the cross product YesYes3
H quaternions, with Lie bracket the commutator4
Im(H)quaternions with zero real part, with Lie bracket the commutator; isomorphic to real 3-vectors,

with Lie bracket the cross product; also isomorphic to su(2) and to so(3,R)

YesYes3
M(n,R)n×n matrices, with Lie bracket the commutatorn2
sl(n,R)square matrices with trace 0, with Lie bracket the commutatorYesYesn21
so(n) skew-symmetric square real matrices, with Lie bracket the commutator.Yes, except n=4YesException: so(4) is semi-simple,

but not simple.

n(n1)/2
sp(2n,R)real matrices that satisfy JA + ATJ = 0 where J is the standard skew-symmetric matrix YesYesn(2n+1)
sp(n)square quaternionic matrices A satisfying A = A, with Lie bracket the commutatorYesYesn(2n+1)
u(n)square complex matrices A satisfying A = A, with Lie bracket the commutatorNote: this is not a complex Lie algebran2
su(n)
n≥2
square complex matrices A with trace 0 satisfying A = A, with Lie bracket the commutatorYesYesNote: this is not a complex Lie algebran21

Complex Lie groups and their algebras

Note that a "complex Lie group" is defined as a complex analytic manifold that is also a group whose multiplication and inversion are each given by a holomorphic map. The dimensions in the table below are dimensions over C. Note that every complex Lie group/algebra can also be viewed as a real Lie group/algebra of twice the dimension.

Lie groupDescriptionCptUCRemarksLie algebradim/C
Cngroup operation is additionN00abelianCnn
C×nonzero complex numbers with multiplicationN0ZabelianC1
GL(n,C) general linear group: invertible n×n complex matrices N0ZFor n=1: isomorphic to C×M(n,C)n2
SL(n,C) special linear group: complex matrices with determinant

1

N00for n=1 this is a single point and thus compact.sl(n,C)n21
SL(2,C)Special case of SL(n,C) for n=2N00Isomorphic to Spin(3,C), isomorphic to Sp(2,C)sl(2,C)3
PSL(2,C)Projective special linear groupN0Z2SL(2,C)Isomorphic to the Möbius group, isomorphic to the restricted Lorentz group SO+(3,1,R), isomorphic to SO(3,C).sl(2,C)3
O(n,C) orthogonal group: complex orthogonal matrices NZ2finite for n=1so(n,C)n(n1)/2
SO(n,C) special orthogonal group: complex orthogonal matrices with determinant 1N0Z  n=2
Z2 n>2
SO(2,C) is abelian and isomorphic to C×; nonabelian for n>2. SO(1,C) is a single point and thus compact and simply connectedso(n,C)n(n1)/2
Sp(2n,C) symplectic group: complex symplectic matrices N00sp(2n,C)n(2n+1)

Complex Lie algebras

The dimensions given are dimensions over C. Note that every complex Lie algebra can also be viewed as a real Lie algebra of twice the dimension.

Lie algebraDescriptionSimple?Semi-simple?Remarksdim/C
Cthe complex numbers 1
Cnthe Lie bracket is zeron
M(n,C)n×n matrices with Lie bracket the commutatorn2
sl(n,C)square matrices with trace 0 with Lie bracket

the commutator

YesYesn21
sl(2,C)Special case of sl(n,C) with n=2YesYesisomorphic to su(2) C3
so(n,C) skew-symmetric square complex matrices with Lie bracket

the commutator

Yes, except n=4YesException: so(4,C) is semi-simple,

but not simple.

n(n1)/2
sp(2n,C)complex matrices that satisfy JA + ATJ = 0

where J is the standard skew-symmetric matrix

YesYesn(2n+1)

The Lie algebra of affine transformations of dimension two, in fact, exist for any field. An instance has already been listed in the first table for real Lie algebras.

See also

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References