Invariants of the \(k\)-fold adjoint action of the Euclidean isometry group (Q265627)

The present paper is devoted to the theory of \(k\)-fold invariants of the Euclidean isometry group. Recall that the special Euclidean group \(\mathrm{SE}(n)\) of order \(n\) is the subgroup of the isometry group of affine \(n\)-space consisting of the direct isometries, that is, isometries preserving orientation. It is well known that any such isometry can be expressed as a composition of a rotation from \(\mathrm{SO}(n)\) and a translation from \(\mathbb R^n\). In other words, the group is isomorphic to a semi-direct product \(\mathrm{SE}(n)\cong \mathrm{SO}(n)\ltimes \mathbb R^n\). Correspondingly, the Lie algebra \(\mathfrak{se}(n)\) is isomorphic to a semi-direct sum of the Lie algebra \(\mathfrak{so}(n)\) of skew-symmetric \(n\times n\) matrices and the abelian algebra \(\mathfrak t(n)\) of infinitesimal translations. In this paper is considered only the case \(n=3\). A twist is an element of the Lie algebra \(\mathfrak{se}(n)\). Twists most comonly are represented by using Plücker coordinates. Kinematically, a joint in a manipulator with one degree of freedom can be represented by a twist and the motion of one link with respect to its adjoined link. For a serial kinematic chain, we have several joints, and hence are interested in the invariants of a set of twists \(\mathbf s_1,\dots,\mathbf s_k\). Since the Euclidean group is algebraic, its polynomial invariants are of particular significance. The main goal of the present paper is to determine fundamental invariants of the action induced by the adjoint action of \(\mathrm{SE}(3)\) for sets of three twists and to show that the ring of invariants is rationally finite generated. In Section 5 the authors prove that the ring of invariants for triple twists is rationally finitely generated by 13 of these invariants.