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Constructing Finite Complex Reflection Groups

In this section we describe the classification of finite complex groups, and functions for constructing these groups.

At present there is no satisfactory theory of root systems for complex reflection groups comparable to the theory for finite Coxeter groups. However, if we choose a representative r_i for each conjugacy class of reflections in the reflection group G and if we choose a root alpha_i of r_i, then the union of the orbits of the alpha_i form a suitable set on which G acts as a group of permutations. For any set {r_1, r_2, ..., r_n} of reflections that generate G, every reflection in G is conjugate to a power of some r_i.

Even though there is no satisfactory notion of "set of fundamental roots", a reflection group can nevertheless be described by specifying the set of roots corresponding to a set of reflection generators together with a root of unity attached to each root. Moreover, the inner products between the roots can be described by means of a diagram similar to the Dynkin diagram of a Coxeter group. This notation was suggested by Coxeter and used by Cohen in his thesis on the classification of the groups. (There is a different type of diagram used by Brou'e, Malle and others.)

In this package we use Cohen's naming scheme for the diagrams. This extends the standard notation A_n, B_n, ..., H_3, H_4 used for Coxeter groups.

The ordering of the fundamental root vectors is given in the following diagrams. A pair of nodes not joined by an edge corresponds to a matrix entry of 0. A single bond corresponds to 1 and all other bonds are labelled by the matrix entry (reading from left to right, from lower numbered node to higher).

Thus an unlabelled edge between nodes of reflections of order 2 corresponds to an inner product of -1/2.

In the associated diagram (given below) there is a node for each root. The (i, i)-th entry of the root system matrix is alpha_i and if this is -1, the node is shown as a circle, otherwise it is represented by alpha_i itself.

This construction includes all finite irreducible Coxeter groups.

beginschema{A_n} 1 2 3 n o---o---o- ... -o

endschema

beginschema{B_n = C_n} 1 2 3 n o===o---o- ... -o sqrt2

endschema

beginschema{D_n} 1 o 3 4 n o---o- ... -o / 2 o endschema

beginschema{E_6} 2 3 4 5 6 o---o---o---o---o | 1 o

endschema

beginschema{E_7} 2 3 4 5 6 7 o---o---o---o---o---o | 1 o endschema

beginschema{E_8} 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 o---o---o---o---o---o---o | 1 o endschema

beginschema{F_4} 1 2 3 4 o---o===o---o sqrt2

endschema

beginschema{G_2} 1 2 o===o sqrt3

endschema

beginschema{H_3} 1 2 3 o===o---o tau^2 = tau + 1 tau

endschema

beginschema{H_4} 1 2 3 4 o===o---o---o tau

endschema

beginschema{J_3(4)} 2 o / c^2 = c - 2 1 o===o 3 -c

endschema

beginschema{J_3(5)} 2 o / omega^2 + omega+ 1 = 0 1 o===o 3 omegatau

endschema

beginschema{K_4} 3 o / \ o---o===o W(K_4) = G(3, 3, 4) 1 2 omega4 endschema

beginschema{K_5} 3 o / \ o---o===o---o 1 2 omega4 5 endschema

beginschema{K_6} 3 o / \ o---o===o---o---o 1 2 omega4 5 6 endschema

beginschema{L_3} 1 2 3 omega=== omega=== omega -omega^2 omega^2 endschema

beginschema{L_4} 1 2 3 4 omega=== omega=== omega=== omega -omega^2 omega^2 -omega^2 endschema

beginschema{M_3} 1 2 3 o === omega=== omega sqrt2 -omega^2 endschema

beginschema{N_4} 2 o / 3 4 1 o===o---o i - 1 endschema

beginschema{O_4} 3 2 o --- o --- o 4 |W(O_4) : W(N_4)| = 6 // \ / / scriptstyle(i - 1)\ o === o 1 scriptstyle(i + 1) 5 endschema

hrule

Let B be the direct product of n copies of the cyclic group C_m of order m and represent the elements of B by diagonal matrices diag(theta_1, theta_2, ..., theta_n). The elements of the symmetric group Sym(n) can be represented by n x n permutation matrices and in this guise it acts on the group B; the resulting semidirect product is also known as the emph{wreath product} C_m wreath Sym(n).

For each divisor p of m define

A(m, p, n) := { (theta_1, theta_2, ..., theta_n) in B | (theta_1theta_2.stheta_n)^(m/p) = 1 }.

It is immediately clear that A(m, p, n) is a subgroup of index p in B that is invariant under the action of Sym(n). The semidirect product of A(m, p, n) by the symmetric group Sym(n) is the group G(m, p, n). Shephard and Todd proved that every irreducible imprimitive unitary reflection subgroup of GL(n, C) is conjugate to G(m, p, n) for some m and p.

ImprimitiveReflectionGroup(m, p, n) : RngIntElt, RngIntElt, RngIntElt -> GrpMat, Fld
This function returns the Shephard-Todd group G(m, p, n), where p divides m. The field of definition is returned as a second value. In general, G(m, p, n) is irreducible but if m = p = 1, the function returns Sym(n) in its natural permutation representation, which is not irreducible.

Example GrpRfl_ImprimitiveReflectionGroup (H85E7)

> ImprimitiveReflectionGroup( 6, 3, 3 );
MatrixGroup(3, Cyclotomic Field of order 6 and degree 2)
Generators:
    [0 1 0]
    [1 0 0]
    [0 0 1]

    [1 0 0]
    [0 0 1]
    [0 1 0]

    [     0      z      0]
    [-z + 1      0      0]
    [     0      0      1]

    [-1  0  0]
    [ 0  1  0]
    [ 0  0  1]

RootSystemMatrix( X, n ) : MonStgElt, RngIntElt -> AlgMatElt
Given a string X defining the type and an integer n specifying the rank, this function returns the matrix of (modified) inner products of roots corresponding to generating reflections of a reflection group of type X and rank n. The rank is the dimension of the space on which the group acts; it is not always the number of generators. The function constructs root system matrices for the types A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J_3(4), J_3(5), K, L, M, N, and O. (The function accepts the abbreviations J4 and J5 for the types J_3(4) and J_3(5).) The (i, j)-th entry of the root system matrix for the roots a_1, a_2, ..., a_k is delta_(ij) + (alpha_j - 1)(a_i, a_j), where alpha_j is an m-th root of unity, for some m. The effect of the reflection r_j with root a_j on the root a_i is given by

a_i r_j = a_i + (alpha_j - 1)(a_i, a_j) a_j.

ReflectionGroup(M) : AlgMatElt -> GrpMat, Fld
Given a root system matrix M the function returns the corresponding unitary reflection group. In addition, the field of definition is returned. We assume that M corresponds to a positive semidefinite inner product and that the first n - 1 columns of M - I are linearly independent. The reflection generators are created as matrices with respect to the standard basis of the reflection representation. The matrices represent the action on row vectors. The k-th reflection matrix is obtained from the identity matrix by replacing its k-th column with the k-th column of the root system matrix. If the determinant of M - I is 0, the matrices can be thought of as arising from transformations constructed as just described, but acting on the quotient of the space modulo the null space of M - I.

Example GrpRfl_ComplexReflectionGroupByMatrix (H85E8)

> M := RootSystemMatrix( "O", 4 );
> M;
[    -1      1  i - 1      0  i + 1]
[     1     -1      1      0      0]
[-i - 1      1     -1      1  i - 1]
[     0      0      1     -1      1]
[-i + 1      0 -i - 1      1     -1]
> #ReflectionGroup( M );
46080

ComplexReflectionGroup( X, n ) : MonStgElt, RngIntElt -> AlgMatElt
Given a string X defining the type and an integer n specifying the rank, this function returns the corresponding complex reflection group.
ShephardTodd(n) : RngIntElt -> GrpMat, Fld
This function returns the primitive reflection group G_n in GL(m, C), using the Shephard-Todd numbering. The field of definition is returned as well. The groups available via this function include all the finite primitive irreducible unitary reflection groups other than the symmetric groups Sym(n) for n >= 5. The groups are listed below.

There are nineteen 2-dimensional primitive unitary reflection groups:

Tetrahedral family: G_4, ..., G_7

Octahedral family: G_8, ..., G_(15)

Icosahedral family: G_(16), ..., G_(22)

There are five 3-dimensional unitary reflection groups:

G_(23): W(H_3) = Z_2 x PSL(2, 5), order 120

G_(24): W(J_3(4)) = Z_2 x PSL(2, 7), order 336

G_(25): W(L_3) = W(P_3) = 3^(1 + 2).SL(2, 3), order 648; Hessian group

G_(26): W(M_3) = Z_2 x 3^(1 + 2).SL(2, 3), order 1296; Hessian group

G_(27): W(J_3(5)) = Z_2 x (Z_3.Alt(6)), order 2160 (non-split)

There are five 4-dimensional unitary reflection groups in addition to Sym(5):

G_(28): W(F_4) = (SL(2, 3) SL(2, 3)).(Z_2 x Z_2), order 1152

G_(29): W(N_4) = (Z_4 2^(1 + 4)).Sym(5), order 7680 (splits)

G_(30): W(H_4) = (SL(2, 5) SL(2, 5)).Z_2, order 14400

G_(31): W(O_4) = (Z_4 2^(1 + 4)).Sp(4, 2), order 46080 (non-split) 5 generators

G_(32): W(L_4) = Z_3 x Sp(4, 3), order 155520 = 2^7 x 3^5 x 5

There is one 5-dimensional unitary reflection group in addition to Sym(6):

G_(33): W(K_5) = Z_2 x Omega(5, 3) = Z_2 x PSp(4, 3) = Z_2 x PSU(4, 2), order 51840 = 2^7 x 3^4 x 5.

There are two 6-dimensional unitary reflection groups in addition to Sym(7):

G_(34): W(K_6) = Z_3.SO^ - (6, 3), order 39191040 = 2^9 x 3^7 x 5 x 7

G_(35): W(E_6) = SO(5, 3) = O^ - (6, 2) = PSp(4, 3).Z_2 = PSU(4, 2).Z_2, order 51840 = 2^7 x 3^4 x 5

There is one 7-dimensional unitary reflection group in addition to Sym(8):

G_(36): W(E_7) = Z_2 x Sp(6, 2), order 2903040 = 2^(10) x 3^4 x 5 x 7.

There is one 8-dimensional unitary reflection group in addition to Sym(9):

G_(37): W(E_8) = Z_2.O^ + (8, 2), order 696729600 = 2^(14) x 3^5 x 5^2 x 7


Example GrpRfl_ComplexReflectionGroups (H85E9)

> W := ComplexReflectionGroup( "O", 4 );
> G := ShephardTodd( 31 );
> W eq G;
true


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