Are there Hermitian Unitary matrices U and V generating $mathbb{Z}/2 ast mathbb{Z}/2$?
Are there involutory unitary matrices U and V such that the group generated by U and V is isomorphic to $mathbb{Z}/2 ast mathbb{Z}/2$? If so, how many such pairs of matrices are there? Is there a known way to classify or at least generate examples of such pairs? Alternatively, can you prove no such pairs exist?
I am mostly interested in the case where U and V are $N times N$ matrices with $N = 2^n$ for positive integers $n$, but would also be interested in any special cases.
Thoughts so far: If U and V are involutions and unitary, then each must be Hermitian also. Thus, each of U and V must be a matrix with all eigenvalues equal to $pm 1$.
Also, since $langle U, V rangle cong mathbb{Z}/2 ast mathbb{Z}/2$ and since U and V are involutions, $UVUV = UVU^{-1}V^{-1} = [U,V] neq I$, so U and V cannot commute, and in fact they also cannot anticommute since that would mean $[U,V]^2 = I$, which would again fail our requirements.
Another line of thinking comes from an answer to this question (Matrices which are both unitary and Hermitian) which states that a matrix U is Hermitian and Unitary if and only if $U = 2P - I$, for some orthogonal projection $P$. I'm not sure if this helps.
Any ideas?
linear-algebra matrices group-theory
add a comment |
Are there involutory unitary matrices U and V such that the group generated by U and V is isomorphic to $mathbb{Z}/2 ast mathbb{Z}/2$? If so, how many such pairs of matrices are there? Is there a known way to classify or at least generate examples of such pairs? Alternatively, can you prove no such pairs exist?
I am mostly interested in the case where U and V are $N times N$ matrices with $N = 2^n$ for positive integers $n$, but would also be interested in any special cases.
Thoughts so far: If U and V are involutions and unitary, then each must be Hermitian also. Thus, each of U and V must be a matrix with all eigenvalues equal to $pm 1$.
Also, since $langle U, V rangle cong mathbb{Z}/2 ast mathbb{Z}/2$ and since U and V are involutions, $UVUV = UVU^{-1}V^{-1} = [U,V] neq I$, so U and V cannot commute, and in fact they also cannot anticommute since that would mean $[U,V]^2 = I$, which would again fail our requirements.
Another line of thinking comes from an answer to this question (Matrices which are both unitary and Hermitian) which states that a matrix U is Hermitian and Unitary if and only if $U = 2P - I$, for some orthogonal projection $P$. I'm not sure if this helps.
Any ideas?
linear-algebra matrices group-theory
5
You could just take $U$ and $V$ to be two real orthogonal reflections about lines through the origin such that the angle between them is not a rational multiple of $pi$. Then $UV$ has infinite order.
– Derek Holt
Nov 29 '18 at 9:22
add a comment |
Are there involutory unitary matrices U and V such that the group generated by U and V is isomorphic to $mathbb{Z}/2 ast mathbb{Z}/2$? If so, how many such pairs of matrices are there? Is there a known way to classify or at least generate examples of such pairs? Alternatively, can you prove no such pairs exist?
I am mostly interested in the case where U and V are $N times N$ matrices with $N = 2^n$ for positive integers $n$, but would also be interested in any special cases.
Thoughts so far: If U and V are involutions and unitary, then each must be Hermitian also. Thus, each of U and V must be a matrix with all eigenvalues equal to $pm 1$.
Also, since $langle U, V rangle cong mathbb{Z}/2 ast mathbb{Z}/2$ and since U and V are involutions, $UVUV = UVU^{-1}V^{-1} = [U,V] neq I$, so U and V cannot commute, and in fact they also cannot anticommute since that would mean $[U,V]^2 = I$, which would again fail our requirements.
Another line of thinking comes from an answer to this question (Matrices which are both unitary and Hermitian) which states that a matrix U is Hermitian and Unitary if and only if $U = 2P - I$, for some orthogonal projection $P$. I'm not sure if this helps.
Any ideas?
linear-algebra matrices group-theory
Are there involutory unitary matrices U and V such that the group generated by U and V is isomorphic to $mathbb{Z}/2 ast mathbb{Z}/2$? If so, how many such pairs of matrices are there? Is there a known way to classify or at least generate examples of such pairs? Alternatively, can you prove no such pairs exist?
I am mostly interested in the case where U and V are $N times N$ matrices with $N = 2^n$ for positive integers $n$, but would also be interested in any special cases.
Thoughts so far: If U and V are involutions and unitary, then each must be Hermitian also. Thus, each of U and V must be a matrix with all eigenvalues equal to $pm 1$.
Also, since $langle U, V rangle cong mathbb{Z}/2 ast mathbb{Z}/2$ and since U and V are involutions, $UVUV = UVU^{-1}V^{-1} = [U,V] neq I$, so U and V cannot commute, and in fact they also cannot anticommute since that would mean $[U,V]^2 = I$, which would again fail our requirements.
Another line of thinking comes from an answer to this question (Matrices which are both unitary and Hermitian) which states that a matrix U is Hermitian and Unitary if and only if $U = 2P - I$, for some orthogonal projection $P$. I'm not sure if this helps.
Any ideas?
linear-algebra matrices group-theory
linear-algebra matrices group-theory
asked Nov 29 '18 at 3:21
user334137user334137
515210
515210
5
You could just take $U$ and $V$ to be two real orthogonal reflections about lines through the origin such that the angle between them is not a rational multiple of $pi$. Then $UV$ has infinite order.
– Derek Holt
Nov 29 '18 at 9:22
add a comment |
5
You could just take $U$ and $V$ to be two real orthogonal reflections about lines through the origin such that the angle between them is not a rational multiple of $pi$. Then $UV$ has infinite order.
– Derek Holt
Nov 29 '18 at 9:22
5
5
You could just take $U$ and $V$ to be two real orthogonal reflections about lines through the origin such that the angle between them is not a rational multiple of $pi$. Then $UV$ has infinite order.
– Derek Holt
Nov 29 '18 at 9:22
You could just take $U$ and $V$ to be two real orthogonal reflections about lines through the origin such that the angle between them is not a rational multiple of $pi$. Then $UV$ has infinite order.
– Derek Holt
Nov 29 '18 at 9:22
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
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Almost all pairs of involutions satisfy this property.
Unitary involutions are in correspondence with subspaces, so the space of pairs $(U,V)$ (or representations of $mathbb Z/2 *mathbb Z/2$) is a disjoint union of products of Grassmannians, of course.
The condition that $U,V$ determine a faithful representation of $mathbb Z/2*mathbb Z/2$ is equivalent to $langle UVrangle cong mathbb Z$. Another way to see this condition is to remove the pairs $(U,V)$ such that $(UV)^n = I$ for each $n$. Since the matrix equation is just a set of polynomial equations in the coefficients of the matrices, for fixed $n$ it defines a subvariety. On the $G_delta$ set away from the countable union of these subvarieties, the condition is true. This is what algebraic geometers call a "very generic property."
We're over an uncountable base field, so a very generic property always holds on a non-empty set. In more analytic language, a subvariety has measure 0, so by subadditivity their countable union also has measure zero. Thus the property holds almost everywhere.
Are you taking the correspondence between unitary involutions and subspaces to be via the $U = 2P - I$ decomposition I mentioned above?
– user334137
Nov 30 '18 at 15:52
@user334137 Yes, $U$ corresponds to the image of $P$.
– Ben
Nov 30 '18 at 15:56
add a comment |
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Almost all pairs of involutions satisfy this property.
Unitary involutions are in correspondence with subspaces, so the space of pairs $(U,V)$ (or representations of $mathbb Z/2 *mathbb Z/2$) is a disjoint union of products of Grassmannians, of course.
The condition that $U,V$ determine a faithful representation of $mathbb Z/2*mathbb Z/2$ is equivalent to $langle UVrangle cong mathbb Z$. Another way to see this condition is to remove the pairs $(U,V)$ such that $(UV)^n = I$ for each $n$. Since the matrix equation is just a set of polynomial equations in the coefficients of the matrices, for fixed $n$ it defines a subvariety. On the $G_delta$ set away from the countable union of these subvarieties, the condition is true. This is what algebraic geometers call a "very generic property."
We're over an uncountable base field, so a very generic property always holds on a non-empty set. In more analytic language, a subvariety has measure 0, so by subadditivity their countable union also has measure zero. Thus the property holds almost everywhere.
Are you taking the correspondence between unitary involutions and subspaces to be via the $U = 2P - I$ decomposition I mentioned above?
– user334137
Nov 30 '18 at 15:52
@user334137 Yes, $U$ corresponds to the image of $P$.
– Ben
Nov 30 '18 at 15:56
add a comment |
Almost all pairs of involutions satisfy this property.
Unitary involutions are in correspondence with subspaces, so the space of pairs $(U,V)$ (or representations of $mathbb Z/2 *mathbb Z/2$) is a disjoint union of products of Grassmannians, of course.
The condition that $U,V$ determine a faithful representation of $mathbb Z/2*mathbb Z/2$ is equivalent to $langle UVrangle cong mathbb Z$. Another way to see this condition is to remove the pairs $(U,V)$ such that $(UV)^n = I$ for each $n$. Since the matrix equation is just a set of polynomial equations in the coefficients of the matrices, for fixed $n$ it defines a subvariety. On the $G_delta$ set away from the countable union of these subvarieties, the condition is true. This is what algebraic geometers call a "very generic property."
We're over an uncountable base field, so a very generic property always holds on a non-empty set. In more analytic language, a subvariety has measure 0, so by subadditivity their countable union also has measure zero. Thus the property holds almost everywhere.
Are you taking the correspondence between unitary involutions and subspaces to be via the $U = 2P - I$ decomposition I mentioned above?
– user334137
Nov 30 '18 at 15:52
@user334137 Yes, $U$ corresponds to the image of $P$.
– Ben
Nov 30 '18 at 15:56
add a comment |
Almost all pairs of involutions satisfy this property.
Unitary involutions are in correspondence with subspaces, so the space of pairs $(U,V)$ (or representations of $mathbb Z/2 *mathbb Z/2$) is a disjoint union of products of Grassmannians, of course.
The condition that $U,V$ determine a faithful representation of $mathbb Z/2*mathbb Z/2$ is equivalent to $langle UVrangle cong mathbb Z$. Another way to see this condition is to remove the pairs $(U,V)$ such that $(UV)^n = I$ for each $n$. Since the matrix equation is just a set of polynomial equations in the coefficients of the matrices, for fixed $n$ it defines a subvariety. On the $G_delta$ set away from the countable union of these subvarieties, the condition is true. This is what algebraic geometers call a "very generic property."
We're over an uncountable base field, so a very generic property always holds on a non-empty set. In more analytic language, a subvariety has measure 0, so by subadditivity their countable union also has measure zero. Thus the property holds almost everywhere.
Almost all pairs of involutions satisfy this property.
Unitary involutions are in correspondence with subspaces, so the space of pairs $(U,V)$ (or representations of $mathbb Z/2 *mathbb Z/2$) is a disjoint union of products of Grassmannians, of course.
The condition that $U,V$ determine a faithful representation of $mathbb Z/2*mathbb Z/2$ is equivalent to $langle UVrangle cong mathbb Z$. Another way to see this condition is to remove the pairs $(U,V)$ such that $(UV)^n = I$ for each $n$. Since the matrix equation is just a set of polynomial equations in the coefficients of the matrices, for fixed $n$ it defines a subvariety. On the $G_delta$ set away from the countable union of these subvarieties, the condition is true. This is what algebraic geometers call a "very generic property."
We're over an uncountable base field, so a very generic property always holds on a non-empty set. In more analytic language, a subvariety has measure 0, so by subadditivity their countable union also has measure zero. Thus the property holds almost everywhere.
edited Nov 30 '18 at 15:32
answered Nov 30 '18 at 15:09
BenBen
2,608616
2,608616
Are you taking the correspondence between unitary involutions and subspaces to be via the $U = 2P - I$ decomposition I mentioned above?
– user334137
Nov 30 '18 at 15:52
@user334137 Yes, $U$ corresponds to the image of $P$.
– Ben
Nov 30 '18 at 15:56
add a comment |
Are you taking the correspondence between unitary involutions and subspaces to be via the $U = 2P - I$ decomposition I mentioned above?
– user334137
Nov 30 '18 at 15:52
@user334137 Yes, $U$ corresponds to the image of $P$.
– Ben
Nov 30 '18 at 15:56
Are you taking the correspondence between unitary involutions and subspaces to be via the $U = 2P - I$ decomposition I mentioned above?
– user334137
Nov 30 '18 at 15:52
Are you taking the correspondence between unitary involutions and subspaces to be via the $U = 2P - I$ decomposition I mentioned above?
– user334137
Nov 30 '18 at 15:52
@user334137 Yes, $U$ corresponds to the image of $P$.
– Ben
Nov 30 '18 at 15:56
@user334137 Yes, $U$ corresponds to the image of $P$.
– Ben
Nov 30 '18 at 15:56
add a comment |
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You could just take $U$ and $V$ to be two real orthogonal reflections about lines through the origin such that the angle between them is not a rational multiple of $pi$. Then $UV$ has infinite order.
– Derek Holt
Nov 29 '18 at 9:22