On compositions of quaternionic Möbius transformations
Given two elements in a group, it is an interesting problem to investigate the behavior of compositions of different iterations of the elements and to obtain results that control the type of compositions. The aim of the paper under review is to investigate such results for \(\mathrm{PSL}(2, \mathbb{H})\), where \(\mathbb{H}\) is the division ring of real quaternions. Let \(\mathrm{SL}(2, \mathbb{H})\) be the group of \(2 \times 2\) quaternionic matrices with Dieudonné determinant one, it is to say if \(A=(\begin{smallmatrix}a&b\\\Nc&d \end{smallmatrix})\), then \(\det A = |ad - aca^{-1}b| = 1\). The group \(\mathrm{SL}(2, \mathbb{H})\) may be identified with the group of orientation-preserving isometries of the five dimensional hyperbolic space \(\mathbf{H}^5\) using their action on the boundary sphere \(\mathbb{S}^4 \simeq \mathbb{H} \cup \{\infty\}\) by quaternionic linear fractional transformations. This group also identifies with the group of orientation-preserving conformal automorphisms of \(\mathbb{S}^4\). A parabolic element in \(\mathrm{SL}(2, \mathbb{H})\) is conjugate to \((\begin{smallmatrix}\lambda &1\\\N0&\lambda \end{smallmatrix})\) with \(|\lambda|=1\) and up to conjugacy an elliptic or loxodromic element \(A\) is given by \(A=(\begin{smallmatrix}\lambda&0\\\N0&\mu \end{smallmatrix})\), where \(\lambda, \mu \in \mathbb{C}\) and \(A\) is loxodromic if and only if \(|\lambda| \neq 1 \neq |\mu|\). Given an elliptic or loxodromic element \(A \in \mathrm{PSL}(2, \mathbb{H})\) then up to conjugacy it has the above diagonal form. We may define \textit{the argument trace} and \textit{the absolute trace} of \(A\) as \(\operatorname{argtr}(A) = \arg(\lambda) + \arg(\mu)\) and \(\operatorname{abstr}(A)=|\lambda| + |\mu|\), respectively.\N\NThe first main result of the paper is Theorem 1.1: Let \(f\) be a loxodromic element in \(\mathrm{PSL}(2, \mathbb{H})\) with attractive fixed point \(p^*\) and repulsive fixed point \(p_*\). Choose two isometries \(g, h\) in \(\mathrm{PSL}(2, \mathbb{H})\) which are different from \(f\).\N\N(1) If \(g(p^*) \neq p^*, h(p_*) \neq p_*\), then corresponding to a large number \(M>0\), there exists \(n_0 \in \mathbb{N}\) such that \(\operatorname{abstr}(f^{-n} g f^n h)>M\) and for all \(n \geq n_0\), \(f^{-n} g f^n h\) is loxodromic which does not share a fixed point with \(g\) or \(h\).\N\N(2) If \(g(p_*) \neq p_*\), \(h(p^*) \neq p^*\), then corresponding to a large number \(M>0\), there exists \(n_0 \in \mathbb{N}\) such that \(\operatorname{abstr}(f^{-n} g f^n h)>M\) and for all \(n \leq-n_0\), \(f^{-n} g f^n h\) is loxodromic which does not share a fixed point with \(g\) or \(h\).\N\NAs a consequence we observe that for three generic loxodromic elements \(f, g, h \in \mathrm{PSL}(2, \mathbb{H})\), the groups \(\langle f^{-n}gf^n,h \rangle\) are free for large values of \(n\). The second result is Theorem 1.2: Let \(f\) be a non-parabolic element in \(\mathrm{PSL}(2, \mathbb{H})\) that admits exactly two fixed points on the boundary \(\mathbb{S}^4\). Let \(g\) be a loxodromic element in \(\mathrm{PSL}(2, \mathbb{H})\). If \(g\) permutes the boundary fixed points of \(f\), then \(f\) also permutes the fixed points of \(g\) if and only if \(f\) is either a loxodromic or a regular elliptic and \(\operatorname{abstr}(f)=\operatorname{abstr}(g)\).\N\NOther useful results appear in Propositions 1.3 and 1.4 and in Lemmas 4.1 and 4.2. In Section 2, necessary preliminaries are provided about quaternions, quaternionic matrices, classification of elements of \(\mathrm{PSL}(2, \mathbb{H})\), fixed points and eigenvalues. The proofs of Theorems 1.1 and 1.2 are given in Section 3.\N\NFor the entire collection see [Zbl 1571.32001].
- Algebraic characterization of the isometries of the hyperbolic 5-space
- Conjugacy classification of quaternionic Möbius transformations
- Conjugacy invariants of \(Sl(2,\mathbb H)\).
- Extremality of quaternionic Jørgensen inequality
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 192943 (Why is no real title available?)
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1887444 (Why is no real title available?)
- ON THE CLASSIFICATION OF FOUR-DIMENSIONAL MÖBIUS TRANSFORMATIONS
- Test map and discreteness in \(\mathrm{SL}(2,\mathbb{H})\)
- The monodromy groups of Schwarzian equations on closed Riemann surfaces
- The quaternion formalism for Möbius groups in four or fewer dimensions
- Volumes in hyperbolic 5-space
This page was built for publication: On compositions of quaternionic Möbius transformations
Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q6943821)
