P SL(2, R) and SOo (1, 2)

Recall that
SL(2, R) := {A ∈ M2 (R) | det(A) = 1}

P SL(2, R) := SL(2, R)/{I2 , −I2 } .

Define
 
1 0 0
I1,2 := 0 −1 0  .
0 0 −1
We define
SO(1, 2) := {A ∈ M3 (R) |At I1,2 A = I1,2 , det(A) = 1} .
SOo (1, 2) denotes the identity component (from lecture) . The goal of this project is to show
that the groups SOo (1, 2) and P SL(2, R) are isomorphic ( in fact the isomorphism you will
produce is also a homeomorphism ) . As you can see, there are many steps along the way
towards doing this. The solutions to many of the questions may rely on the solutions to
preceding ones. They will be graded independently, for example, say you can’t work out
problem n but you use the result of problem n correctly in solving problem n+1. Then you
will be awarded full points for problem n + 1. There are 100 points in total. This project
contains 5 pages.
(1) (8pts.) Show that SO(1, 2) and SL(2, R) are topological groups. This means sev-
eral things:
a) First show that they are groups under matrix multiplication.

b) Show that SL(2, R) is a closed subspace of M2 (R).

c) Show that SO(1, 2) is a closed subspace of M3 (R) .

d) Show that matrix multiplication and inversion are continuous in the respective
subspace topologies.

(2) Show that SL(2, R) is connected. Do this as follows.

Let ψ be the map from the product of the circle S 1 and the disk D = R>0 × R
(why is this the disk?) into SL(2, R) given by:
ψ : S 1 × D → SL(2, R).

  
cos θ sin θ y x
ψ((cos θ, sin θ), (y, x)) := .
− sin θ cos θ 0 y −1
1
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You are to show that this map is a homeomorphism .

a) (2pts.) Show that ψ is continuous.

b) (5pts.) Show that ψ is injective.

Next you will show that ψ is surjective. This is harder. Given A ∈ SL(2, R),
write
 
a b
A= = (v1 , v2 ) .
c d
So v1 is the first column vector of A, and v2 is the second. Define a matrix B by
||v1 ||−1 − v||v1 ·v1 ||2
 
B := .
0 ||v1 ||
c1) (5pts.) Show that AB is an orthogonal matrix with determinant one.

c2) (6pts.) Let C be any orthogonal matrix with determinant one. Show that for
some angle α we have:
 
cos α sin α
C= .
− sin α cos α
c3) (2pts.) Show that ψ −1 is given by
ψ −1 (A) = (AB, B −1 ) .
c4) (2pts.) Now conclude that SL(2, R) is connected (use the fact that the con-
tinuous image of a connected space is connected) . You may assume the circle is
connected.

c5) (2pts.) Now show that P SL(2, R) connected in the quotient topology.

Now that we know some things about the topological group P SL(2, R), lets try
to see how this could possibly be the same as SO0 (1, 2). First of all, SO0 (1, 2) is a
collection of three by three matrices, but the elements of SL(2, R) are given two by
two matrices! We need to represent the elements of SL(2, R) as three by three’s.
In other words, given A ∈ SL(2, R) we would like to map A to a 3 × 3 matrix, that
is, we would like to construct a homomorphism from SL(2, R) into GL3 (R). First,
some preliminaries.
sl2 (R) := {u ∈ M2 (R) | T r(u) = 0}

T r(u) denotes the trace of the 2 × 2 matrix u.

Observe that sl2 (R) is a three dimensional vector space over R. Given σ ∈ SL(2, R)
we define
Ad(σ)(u) := σuσ −1 where u ∈ sl2 (R) .
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(3) (2pts.) Show that Ad(σ)(u) ∈ sl2 (R) if and only if u ∈ sl2 (R).

(4) (2pts.) Show that Ad(σ) acts by linear transformations on sl2 (R), in other words,
for any u, v ∈ sl2 (R) and scalars α, β
Ad(σ)(αu + βv) = αAd(σ)(u) + βAd(σ)(v) .
(5) (2pts.) Show that Ad(σ · τ ) = Ad(σ) ◦ Ad(τ ) for all σ, τ ∈ SL(2, R).

(6) (2pts.) Show that Ad(I2 ) = I. That is, Ad takes the identity to the identity.

(7) (2pts.) Conclude that Ad is a homomorphism of SL(2, R) into invertible linear

transformations of sl2 (R):
Ad : SL(2, R) → GL(sl2 (R)) .
(8) (6pts.) Show that the kernel of Ad is {I2 , −I2 } .

The next series of questions is devoted to characterizing the image of Ad.

(9) (2pts.) Show that

     
0 1 1 0 0 1
E1 := , E2 := , E3 :=
−1 0 0 −1 1 0
is a basis of sl2 (R) .

(10) (2pts.) Show that

 
x y y−z y+z
= E1 + xE2 + E3 .
z −x 2 2
(11) (8pts.) Let σ ∈ SL(2, R) be given by
 
a b
σ= .
c d
Show that the matrix presentation of Ad(σ) with respect to the ordered basis E1 , E2 , E3
is given by
 1 2 
2
(a + b2 + c2 + d2 ) −(ab + cd) 21 (a2 − b2 + c2 − d2 )
[Ad(σ)] =  −(ac + bd) ad + bc bd − ac  .
1 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2
2
(b + a − (c + d )) cd − ab 2
(a + d − (c + b ))
(12) (2pts.) Use the preceding problem to show that Ad is a continuous map.
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Next we define a quadratic form Q on sl2 (R) by the following rule :

1
Q(u, v) := − T r(uv) u , v ∈ sl2 (R) .
2

(13) Show that Q has signature (1, 2) by direct calculation. Do this by checking that

a) (1pt.) Q(E1 , E1 ) = 1

b) (1pt.) Q(E2 , E2 ) = −1

c) (1pt.) Q(E3 , E3 ) = −1

d) (1pt.) Q(Ei , Ej ) = 0 for i 6= j.

(14) (2pts.) Show that

Q(Ad(σ)(u), Ad(σ)(v)) = Q(u, v) for all σ ∈ SL(2, R) and u, v ∈ sl2 (R) .
(15) (2pts.) Explain why this implies that Ad(SL(2, R)) ⊂ O(1, 2) .

(16) (3pts.) Use problems c4), (6), (12) and our two connectedness Theorems from
lecture to show that, in fact
Ad(SL(2, R)) ⊆ SO0 (1, 2) .

(17) (2pts.) We have the commutative diagram, where π is the quotient map, and Ad
c is
the induced map.

SL(2, R)
Ad / SOo (1, 2)
7
Ad
c
π

P SL(2, R)

Explain why ι is injective.

(18) (6pts.) lemma. Let G and H be groups (not necessarily topological groups) . Let ρ
be a homomorphism from H to G. Let G act on a set S, and let o ∈ S be any point.
Assume that ρ(H) acts transitively on S, and contains the stabilizer of o in G, i.e.
Go ⊂ ρ(H). Show that ρ(H) = G, in other words ρ is surjective.

You are to apply this lemma in the situation where ρ = Ad, G = SO0 (1, 2),
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H = SL(2, R) and S is defined to be a sheet of the hyperbolic paraboloid

S = {u = xE1 + yE2 + zE3 ∈ sl2 (R) |Q(u, u) = 1 , x > 0} .

(19) a) (2pts.) Use problem 11 to show that

1 2 −2 1 2 −2

2
(a + a ) 0 2
(a − a )  
a 0
[Ad(σ)] =  0 1 0 σ= .
0 a−1

1 2 −2 1 2 −2
2
(a − a ) 0 2 (a + a )
b) (2pts.) Let t := ln(a2 ). Write the previous matrix down in terms of cosh(t) and
sinh(t).

c) (3pts.) Next show that

 
1 0 0  
cos θ sin θ
[Ad(σ)] = 0 cos 2θ sin 2θ  σ= .
− sin θ cos θ
0 − sin 2θ cos 2θ
(20) (6pts.) Compute the stabilizer of E1 ∼ (1, 0, 0) in SO0 (1, 2). Compare this with
part c) of problem (19) and conclude that the image of Ad contains SO0 (1, 2)E1 .

(21) (6pts.) Finally, show that the image of Ad acts transitively on S. Conclude by the
lemma that Ad is surjective . (Hint: Draw pictures of the orbits on the paraboloid
under the action of the preceding matrices)