grandes-ecoles 2014 QII.A.2
Subgroup and Normal Subgroup Properties
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For $(a, b) \in \mathbb{C}^2$, we denote by $M(a, b)$ the square complex matrix $M(a, b) = \left( \begin{array}{cc} a & -b \\ \bar{b} & \bar{a} \end{array} \right) \in \mathcal{M}_2(\mathbb{C})$. A matrix of the form $M(a, b)$ will be called a quaternion. We will consider in particular the quaternions $e = I_2 = M(1, 0)$, $I = M(0, 1)$, $J = M(\mathrm{i}, 0)$, $K = M(0, -\mathrm{i})$ and we will denote by $\mathbb{H} = \{M(a, b) \mid (a, b) \in \mathbb{C}^2\}$ the subset of $\mathcal{M}_2(\mathbb{C})$ consisting of all quaternions. Show that $(\mathbb{H} \backslash \{0\}, \times)$ is a non-commutative subgroup of the linear group $(\mathrm{GL}_2(\mathbb{C}), \times)$.