Algebraic characterization of isometries of the complex and the quaternionic hyperbolic planes (Q2429488)

This paper is concerned with isometries of the quaternionic hyperbolic plane \(H\), which correspond to matrices in the linear group \(\mathrm{Sp}(2,1)\). The embedding of \(H\) into \(2 \times 2\) complex matrices provides an embedding of \(\mathrm{Sp}(2,1)\) into \(\mathrm{GL}(6,C)\). The authors give a complete classification of the dynamics of isometries by looking at the characteristic polynomial of the associated \(6 \times 6\) complex matrices and introducing a discriminant function. They also give a classification, following [\textit{R. S. Kulkarni}, J. Ramanujan Math. Soc. 22 No. 1, 35--56 (2007; Zbl 1181.22022)], based on the conjugacy types of the centralizers.